


Harry Potter & Summer Hols

by Lovebeauty01



Series: Lost Potter Series [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Auror Training, Drama & Romance, F/M, Family, MACUSA | Magical Congress of the United States of America, Military Training
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-02
Updated: 2019-10-03
Packaged: 2020-02-16 05:55:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 36,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18685471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lovebeauty01/pseuds/Lovebeauty01
Summary: Now that 3rd year is over and Sirius is not being hunted or killed, Harry and his sister Alyssa embark on their first summer together since their separation. Part 2 of my Harry Potter installment. *See inside for more information.





	1. Return to Potter Manor Pt 1

**Here's the next phase of my Harry Potter series. Since it's been 3 years from the last installment, I have changed a few things and while they're not noticeable, they are there. I have completely dropped the "Prongs" nickname and changed Harry Wales to just "Henry". This story will start to drift further toward Harry Potter POV but you will see Sirius and Remus pop up. The story picks up immediately after they leave for Potter Manor from installment 1 so it will start in Alyssa's POV & it will be in 3rd person, not 1st as it was in the first installment. **

**As always: I don't own it! Enjoy!**

**Return to Potter Manor**

**Alyssa POV**

As she landed on her feet, Alyssa surveyed the area that surrounded their home. Home. A place where she thought she would never find. She had lived with her mother for years, but the few short years she lived with her father and Lily-that was her home. Though her memories were fuzzy of the cottage, she remembered she felt safe. Beside her, Henry and Prongs came to their feet from the dizzying portkey. Both of them looked winded and Prongs seemed a touch green. She watched both of them and smiled seeing a grin break out on Prongs face.

A slight breeze drifted past them as it bathed them in the summer smells of wildflowers and local fauna. Tall, dense trees grew down the path the unplottable Manor. Occasionally they heard an unusual noise coming from the copse of trees that surrounded the area, but she realized that whatever lived out there would stay in the woods. At least she hoped…

Feeling warm fingers slip through hers, Alyssa felt the love that flowed from them to her own heart. The love that her newly discovered soul bonded felt for her had tears prickling in her eyes. Turning her head to Henry, Alyssa gave him a soft smile, which he returned, and tugged him forward. Her brother, Prongs, had started his sprint to the Manor, eager to start his summer holiday.

There was an enormous part of Alyssa that dreaded the upcoming few weeks. They would be separated. She would be finishing the theoretical part of her Auror courses as well as a practical. While he, on the other hand, would be busy for the summer season. She knew that being away from him would be downright torture. Once her Auror courses were finished, they would, hopefully, have the rest of the summer together.

"HEY! Are you two coming?" they heard Prongs shout from the veranda of Potter Manor. Shaking her head, his enthusiasm was infectious.

Chuckling beside her, Henry squeezed her hand and pulled her closer to him. "Of course we are. Why are you waiting for us?"

They watched as Prongs shrugged and bolted into the house, leaving the door open. She and Henry could hear his shouts of joy from where Prongs had left them. Stopping in our tracks, Henry turned to her and held her close. Resting her head on his chest, she sighed happily. Being close to him was soothing. Like a balm to a burn. The bond between us had been a surprise when we discovered it last year. Then the night...that night where she unleashed her anger and nearly harmed Henry.

Since then, he had been diligently working on his shields daily. It was a lesson learned for both of them.

"I am going to miss you these next few weeks," Henry muttered into her hair, still holding her close to him.

Alyssa could only nod. The emotions that rose in her threatened to choke her. "I'm going to miss you as well. You know," she looked up at him, "I am going to be in London."

Henry sighed, closing his eyes and blowing out a puff of air, "Yes, but you'll be quite busy."

"As will you, won't you?"

"Possibly."

That was his code word for 'yes'. Since the night of the Yule Ball, his family has refused to invite Alyssa to any more functions; which she knew only irritated her lovely boyfriend. They may have had a change of heart knowing that their relationship was permanent, but that night happened. It only made sense they changed their minds. While it hurt her deeply, Alyssa understood. During the nights, when she was alone, she was plagued by the nightmares of seeing him in St. Mungo's.

Taking her hand in his, he leads them toward the Manor. As they stepped through the opened door, left by Prongs, they were welcomed by the few house-elves that were ecstatic to have the Potters finally back home. As she scanned the foyer, she noticed the house looked polished and shimmered from the amount of work the elves had put in. She would have to do something nice for them. As long as it wasn't clothes, she mused.

"Ah, there you two are." Sirius said coming down the stairs, "We had half a mind that the both of you were lost somewhere snogging each other brains out." he added, coming toward us with arms open.

Sirius knew it was wonderful to see them again. Especially Harry and Alyssa. When he had lost them over a decade ago, it killed him as he sat alone in Azkaban. When he finally escaped a few months ago, he had sought them. Since he was a wanted man in Magical Britain made it increasingly difficult to travel.

He took a risk to wander upon the Hogwarts property and into the Quidditch pitch that night to see the both of them dueling. He noted that Alyssa was far more advanced than he would have imagined and Prongs, as a beginner, wasn't doing too badly. Stepping out in the light, he was sure he was going to be stunned, but when Alyssa threw herself at him, he knew that things were finally looking up.

She, with the help of Henry, brought him back to London and then onto Potter Manor. As he stepped foot inside, the memories of him and James came flooding back. He nearly wept in the foyer and wished his brother was still with him. Once Prongs realized that Sirius wasn't there to kill him, he opened up to his long-lost godfather. Over Christmas holiday, he finally reconnected with Remus, who had spent the better part of an hour yelling at him before hugging him until he felt a rib crack.

Now the summer holiday was upon them and he knew that based on the kid's schedules, they would be quite busy this summer. It was bittersweet that he had to go another summer without really spending time with them, but he understood.

Alyssa wrapped her arms around the only real father figure she had ever known besides her own father. Though, she still wished a flea bath on him, "Nothing of that sort…."

"We could always escape right now Mr. Black and have everyone look for us," Henry added cheekily which earned a glare from her uncle.

"I am sure you've seen my brother?" she asked, ignoring the banter that was to come.

Sirius nodded at her, still trying to keep the glare off his face. He truly did like Henry but he wasn't in the mood for cheek today. It was the beginning of the summer, but he was in an off mood today. He had been an escaped prisoner of Azkaban for almost a year, but he could still feel the effects of his time there. Maybe he needed to speak to a Mind Healer.

"As a matter of fact, I did. He ran past me like an angry hippogriff was chasing him. I heard a door slam a few minutes ago."

He watched as his niece rolled her eyes at her brother's antics. Sirius could tell they were two very different people, yet he noted, there were some similarities. He hadn't asked them about their lives away from him as they grew up, but something inside him told him that he wouldn't like it if he did ask.

"Has Remus arrived yet?" she asked him, switching the conversation. He understood that if Remus refused to show up that Alyssa and Prongs would hunt him down and drag his wolfy self to Potter Manor.

"I received an owl from him this morning and he said he would be arriving in a few days time. Something about shutting his house down?" Sirius reassured her. He knew getting the family together was part of Alyssa's goal for her brother.

Alyssa nodded at her uncle, who departed a few minutes later to find something to do, and took Henry's hand and led him upstairs to her room. As she pushed the door open, she removed her trunk from her pockets. Setting it down on the floor, she flicked her wrist and her wand appeared. Alyssa must remember to grab one of these for her brother's birthday. Casting an Engorgio charm, they watched as it grew back to its original size. Leaving where it was, she knew the house-elves would unpack the clothes and sort what needed to go into the laundry.

She looked up from staring at the tan and black trunk with her name emblazoned on it to see Henry take a seat on the bed. Giving her a pained smile, she knew that he was dreading the separation. She would be going to America for a few days to drop off her brother before returning to Britain to finish her Auror courses.

At least she would be in London…

Alyssa could feel his eyes on her as she moseyed about her room, setting a few things on her desk and bookshelf. She noted she would need a larger bookshelf. As she turned around to look at him, Alyssa crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a smile, "What?"

"You already miss Hogwarts, don't you?" he asked her.

She nodded at him, "Kind of. You're going to hate this summer, aren't you?"

"Of course I am!" he exclaimed, grabbing her hand and squeezing it. "At least until you return back from America. Where is it located?"

"It's an unplottable area near Lake Placid. The No-Maj…." she saw the confusion on his face, "Muggles...The Americans call them 'No-Maj' don't even realize there is an Academy there."

Suddenly, a small chime echoed throughout the manor and they turned to look at their closed door. Alyssa gave him a strange, but concerned look. No one was supposed to be able to arrive at Potter Manor unless they had a family portkey. She took his hand and they stood. She raised an eyebrow hearing the thudding of feet past the door. With his hand in hers, she tugged him roughly toward the door.

Something was going on. She turned back to see the worry etched in his eyes, but noticed he had palmed his wand. Taking the handle in her free hand, she ripped the door open and poked her head out into the hallway and followed the chiming noise to the first floor.

Exiting the room, she and Henry hurried quickly down the flight of stairs to the bottom floor. She slipped her hand from his and palmed her own wand. Wands ready, they hurried toward the noise. When they found it, Prongs and Sirius were standing guard at an unexpected guest. Sirius had a wand in his hand, pointing directly toward their intruder.

Alyssa wasn't sure how he bought a wand, but she would ask him later.

Their intruder was none other than Will, Henry's brother. Alyssa wasn't sure how he gained a personal portkey to the Manor. "Will, what are you doing here?" Henry spoke up, brushing past her only to be blocked by Sirius.

"Stay where you are!" Sirius spat, his gaze never leaving Will.

"He's my brother! Let me through!"

"He could be an imposter."

"Hardly!" Henry gasped, astonishment in his voice.

"Who are you?" Sirius demanded.

"You know who I am Sirius Black." Will sighed, unamused, "I am Henry's brother."

"Prove it!" Sirius challenged, "Tell him one thing that he knows that the rest of us don't."

Sirius watched as Will looked around the room, his gaze lingering on everyone's faces before he spoke up, "When I was a child, I wanted to be a police officer."

"Before we continue," Sirius started, seizing everyone in place, "How did you acquire a portkey here? I know Alyssa issued only five."

He watched as William wince as if he'd been caught with his hand on his broomstick, "I-er, I found Henry's on his bathroom counter. It was an emergency so I borrowed it."

"Yo-you-" Henry sputtered, anger coloring his face, "You went into MY room and nicked my portkey?"

"I did." William nodded, pulling the ring off his left ring finger.

"Wait!" Alyssa interrupted, "why was your portkey in London and not on you?"

Henry turned to face Alyssa sheepishly, "I showered and forgot to put it back on."

She could have throttled him.

Sirius turned his head briefly to confirm this knowledge with Henry, who nodded. Lowering his wand, he noted that Prongs did the same. Stances eased, but Sirius was still on his guard. He motioned for Prongs to step aside and let Henry through. He watched as Henry pushed past them to speak quietly with his brother. They all waited in suspense until Henry turned around.

Alyssa watched as Henry and Will spoke quietly, she could tell something was wrong by Henry's expression. When they turned to look at them, she walked over and stood before him. Her eyes searching his, "Is everything all right?"

"Family trouble," he replied evasively. Alyssa arched an eyebrow at him, but he shook his head at her. Just something else she knew she wasn't privy to. Sighing, she shook her head at him and blew out a puff of air. Taking his hand, he pulled her close to him. She closed her eyes as he leaned his head down and captured her lips in a slow deep kiss. She pulled him closer to her and wrapped her arms around his neck as he tightened his hold on her hips.

A subtle 'hem-hem' broke them apart. His fingers caressed her cheek and she leaned into him. We stood there absorbing each other as if this was the last time we would ever see each other again. Alyssa knew in her mind that it wasn't true, but her soul was saying otherwise. She needed him just as much as he needed her.

"Henry, we must be off…" Will spoke up breaking the spell between them.

She watched as he turned his head and nodded at his brother. Henry turned his head back and kissed her softly once more before releasing her. Alyssa watched as he walked away, his brother handing him back his portkey with an apologetic smile, and in seconds they were gone.

Alyssa stood there rooted to the floor. She was afraid to move lest she collapses. The subtle pull of the bond felt like it was being stretched. She could already feel him far from her. It was only a few hours difference but it was strong enough that she knew he was gone. Breaking herself from her rooted spot, she cringed inwardly, but stepped away and climbed the stairs toward my room.

**HarryP POV**

Harry Potter-or now commonly known as Prongs landed roughly on the hard ground and blinked harshly in the bright sunlight. There in the distance was Potter Manor. Home. His home for now on and Dumbledore and the Dursley's could sod off. Stampeding hippogriffs couldn't get him to go back there. Even Voldemort threatening his life couldn't get him to go back.

Here he knew he had a family, though new, who loved him deeply and would do anything to ensure his happiness. Alyssa, the sister he never thought he had, was making sure things were getting set right. Sirius, his godfather who he just found, was there for the unconditional support and father figure he yearned for. Even Remus, who was there for him during the school year was a breath of fresh air to him.

Then there was Hermione. The girl he finally opened his eyes too and would hopefully never stop caring for. A light wind whistled by him, and he was itching to get to his room and unpack before terrorizing the house. Of course, he would eventually sit down and pen Hermione an owl before heading down to dinner. It was unusual for him to have people who cared about him.

Briefly, he turned around his eyes catching the landscape before landing on his sister and her boyfriend wandering aimlessly behind him. At this rate, he figured it would be past sundown before they would make to the front door. He shrugged his shoulders and raced down the worn path and shouted happily when he arrived at the front door.

"Hi, Sirius!" Prongs shouted, running up the stairs, "Bye Sirius!" He was too wrapped up to realize that Sirius didn't even call back.

Prongs pushed the door open to his room, the Gryffindor colors greeted him warmly. For the first time in a long time, he felt happy and excited for summer. Before he threw himself on the bed and officially declared that summer had begun, he pulled his trunk of his pockets and used the Engorgio charm and expanded it back to normal size.

Since living in an all magical house, which was going to take some getting used too, Harry could use magic without the Department of Underage Magic banging down the door and threatening to break his wand as they did in second year when a certain house-elf decided it was a good idea to drop a cake on the Dursley's guests.

Harry knew that Dobby still followed him around and would jump at a moment's notice to help "the great Harry Potter out." He opened the lid of the trunk and left it open. He knew that he would go through it later before they would leave for America. Plus, he knew that he needed to get a start on the homework before left.

Blatantly ignoring his homework, for the time being, Harry threw himself on the bed and laid there for a while doing absolutely nothing. By now, he would have already been lectured by his Uncle about 'behaving and keeping his freakish ways out of sight'. Then have a chore list a mile long that he would have to complete every day to make sure everything was in order...for the sake of appearance.

It wasn't like he didn't like the chores. It gave him something to do during the day hours and at night he would force himself to do his homework. He knew that the past three years of schooling at Hogwarts, he had been slacking off much to Hermione's displeasure. This past year, however, he did try to pick his grades up a bit without angering Ron, who still wished to goof off at a moment's notice.

A chiming noise echoed throughout the house and Harry sat up from his bed and threw his legs off the bed. He pulled his wand from his pocket and ran from the room and down the hallway. Taking two steps at a time, he raced down the flight of stairs and followed the chiming noise. He found Sirius standing there aiming a wand at their intruder. Adjusting his silver-framed glasses, he finally got a good look at the bloke whom he learned was Will.

There was something about how Sirius was standing on his own with a wand ready that made him think twice about pocketing his wand. Against his better judgment, he aimed his own and stared him down. Harry wasn't trying to be hostile, but one never knows who's who in the Magical world. A minute later, he heard footsteps coming down the stairs and knew that his sister and Henry were on their way.

"He could be an impostor!" Sirius snarled.

Peering at Will, he couldn't be an imposter, could he? Harry looked him over and he looked just like Will. The same one he met last year but dressed a little more casual. Hearing how Will nicked his own brother's portkey, he lowered his wand and rolled his eyes. Someone other than Will could have found that portkey. A shiver ran down his spine as he thought about the outcomes of this almost disaster.

Harry ducked his head and shuffled his feet while Alyssa was saying goodbye. Once they had left, he gently placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a pained smile. It broke his heart to see the pain in her wide eyes. Honestly, he didn't think she realized they had left, let alone realized when he left the room and headed back to his own.

"Do you think she'll be all right?" Sirius asked, leaning against the door to my room.

He shook his head at his godfather and sighed, his shoulders slumping, "Honestly, I don't know Padfoot. This isn't the first time they have split up for reasons beyond their control. I know that she'll be down for a while and bury herself into something."

"How long has this been going on?"

Harry chewed on his lip and removed his glasses, cleaning them quickly before placing them back on his face, "I'd say since February."

Sirius nodded at him and sighed just as heavily. "Will be she be all right taking you to America?"

"Oh yea, she should be fine. A little downtrodden but that's it." Harry confirmed, nodding his head, "Are you coming to dinner?"

"And miss good cooking?" Sirius gave him a mock glare. "I'll see you at dinner, Harry," he said as he left the room.

As he laid back onto his soft mattress, he sighed again and looked up at the ceiling and realized how much he missed Hermione. He couldn't wait until summer was ending and she would be here. Here at his home where they had plenty of space and hiding spots to sneak off when Ron wasn't looking. He knew he would have a blast in America.

Hermione was thrilled for him, that much he knew. Ron-well, Ron was completely different. He felt that Ron was indifferent with him leaving. Deep down, buried, Harry knew that Ron was jealous that his dark-haired best friend was getting to leave Britain and go to America.

Honestly, it didn't matter if he was visiting or heading off to camp, Ron was going to be jealous either way. Ron, along with Hermione, was going to come and spend a week or two at the end of the summer where they could do whatever they wanted until they left for school on September 1st.

As he rose to his feet, Harry walked over to the large opened window and looked at the grounds. It was large and spanned as far as my spectacled eyes could see. Somewhere on the grounds were a smattering of cottages that used to house family members. Now, it would only Remus and Sirius. Alyssa had offered them rooms inside the Manor, but both declined. Moony had lived alone long enough that it would be uncomfortable living in the house with the younger kids and he was dead sure that Sirius, living alone in Azkaban, would want to be inside, but asked for a cottage.

The next few days were similar to the first day back. It was nice for a chance to sleep in half the day if he wanted. Which he took advantage of on the second morning. While not a slob, the dark-haired wizard had finally gotten around to cleaning out his trunk and the mounds of homework stared at him as it sat alone on the desk. Harry cringed to even look at the summer homework. Though, he knew that he needed to start on it before he left.

It was nice for once to have dinner with family who cared about him, but like at school, once dinner was done, Alyssa would retreat to her quarters as soon as she was finished. Sirius, after learning about the soul-bond and how it affected her, gave her a sad look as she walked out of the room.

The night he had been waiting for when Sirius asked Harry to join him at his cottage. As he followed his godfather through the darkened backyard, down a winding path that was lit up in fairy lights, he wondered where Remus would be staying. The air was warm with only a light breeze tonight and he itched to stay outside. Maybe even camp out. Finally, they arrived at an unusually shaped cottage. It was round, not square like most homes were but Sirius didn't seem to mind.

Sirius opened the door to his new bachelor pad and stepped aside to let his godson in. He watched with careful eyes as Harry looked around. It was small on the outside but large on the inside. No magic needed. The main room consisted of a combined kitchen and living space. There were two doors in the back that was a bedroom and a lavatory to the right.

Seeing the couch, he plopped down on the couch and stretched his legs and looked up toward his godson, "Well make yourself at home."

He watched as Harry took a seat in a nearby chair and nodded at him in thanks, "So, why am I here?"

"What? You don't want to spend time with your Godfather?" Sirius asked in mock anger.

"No! I mean, no-I do wanna spend time with you." he watched as Harry blushed, stammering through his explanation.

"I'm sure you want to know about your parents, don't ya?" he asked, knowing full well this wasn't going to be the topic of the night, "Of course, it's not why I brought you here tonight." the former prisoner sighed and sat up, resting his elbows on his knees. "I want to to get to know my godson. Alyssa is far too moody to talk too-despite what she's going through."

Harry nodded at him and sat back into the comfortable chair. He glanced around the room once more and ran his fingers through already messy hair, " So what do you want to know about me?"

"Anything you're willing to share…."

Deep down, Harry wanted to spill everything about his life up until he met Hagrid, but he knew that if he did, there wouldn't be anything left of Vernon and Petunia Dursley before the night was over and it would give Sirius a real reason to rot in Azkaban.

Sirius watched his godson's face carefully. There was something lurking on the surface and he was sure that Harry wanted to spill everything to him, but something was holding him back. He stood abruptly, giving his godson a chance to collect himself and walked over toward the kitchenette. He pulled two Butterbeer from the small fridge, he handed one to Harry and twisted the top off before sitting down.

They spoke of mundane things, like school. Sirius could tell Harry was leaving things out and realized that he tried to make the best of it until Alyssa arrived. Once Quidditch was mentioned, the conversation became much more lively. Even though he had been locked up in Azkaban for a decade, he was still an avid Quidditch fan.

However, there was one area they hadn't discussed and when Sirius brought updating, Harry turned red as a Quaffle ball and tried to change the subject, much to Sirius's amusement.

"So, Harry," he started and leaned back into his chair, the glass of Firewhiskey barely in his grasp, "are you finally snogging Hermione?"

Butterbeer spewed from Harry's mouth as he began to cough like mad. Harry coughed for a few minutes and tried to get himself under control. "Wh-what are you talking about? Hermione and I are just friends." he lied.

Sirius raised an unbelieving eyebrow at him and shrugged, "You can't tell me that you haven't snogged her brains out?"

Harry felt a blush bulb explode over his face. Ducking his head down, he summoned all the will to look at his godfather with a straight face, but couldn't, "I, uh, well…." he stammered, his hands shaking as he sat the warm Butterbeer down on the worn table.

"Ah, I knew it! You have, haven't you?" his godfather preened, sitting up from his slouched position. He swayed a little but caught himself quickly.

Harry ran his hands over his face, he knew Sirius wasn't going to let up until he confessed. Blowing out a harsh puff of air, he threw his godfather a scowl, "Yes, I am. Have been for several months now, if you want to know…"

"And, I take it that Ronald doesn't have a clue about you two?" the former prisoner asked perceptively.

Harry shook his head at him and closed his eyes before opening them back up, "We decided to keep it a secret…"

"Harry," Sirius sighed and tabled his drink, "I might have been out of the dating game for a very…." he paused and shook his head softly, the black locks dangling to cover his face, "...very long time, but I do know that a secret like that will be exposed one day."

Even though it felt as if a weight had been lifted off the young wizard's shoulders, he still felt the uneasy knot in the pit of his stomach. Since he and Hermione had decided to keep things a secret from Ron, the secret had been festering like a sore in his soul. He wanted to tell Ron every time he saw him, but when he did and how Ron looked at Hermione, Harry knew he couldn't do it.

Not much of a Gryffindor, eh?

He watched as a slightly drunk Sirius palmed his wand an conjured a couple bowls of popcorn. Handing over a bowl to him, they sat there in silence and munched quietly, "Tell me about my parents…"

Sirius paused in mid-bite and glanced over at him, "What do you want to know?" he asked softly, setting his bowl to the side and brushing the salt off his hands.

"Everything you want to tell me," Harry whispered, setting his own bowl on the table and wiping his hands on his jeans.

Sirius nodded, closed his eyes and a smile began to form on his weathered face, "Your dad and I met on the first train ride to Hogwarts…."

Harry cracked a bloodshot eye open and looked fuzzily around trying to figure out his surroundings. Sunlight streamed brightly into the room and he realized he wasn't in his own bed. He was still at Sirius's cottage! He groaned and shifted around and found himself laid flat on a bed. The walls were bare with the exception of a large window.

He sat up slowly and rubbed his eyes roughly. The young wizard blinked against the bright sunlight and swung his legs over the bed and touched the bare floor. Quickly taking inspection of himself, he realized that Sirius must have brought him in the room after he had fallen asleep. Reaching toward the nightstand, Harry plucked his silver frame glasses and slipped them on. The world around him came back into focus. Padding quietly out of the room, he found the loo a minute later and took care of things. Quietly, he slipped on his trainers and snuck out into the living room.

Sirius wasn't there, but he could hear a faint snore coming from the second bedroom. He must still be asleep. Exiting the cottage, Harry closed the door quietly and turned to face the walkway that would lead him back toward the Manor. The air was warm but quiet. There were a few birdsongs, but that was it. Harry quickly made back down the worn path bypassing the large backyard that was big enough for a pool.

Opening the kitchen door, Harry caught a glimpse of the two house-elves preparing the last of the breakfast food. Smelling the overwhelming aroma of breakfast, his stomach decided to chime in and remind him that he needed to eat. Giving a small wave to the house-elves, he hurried out of the kitchen and into a hallway. The dining room was around there somewhere. Following the scent of breakfast food, he found the dining room quite quickly. The oak doors were opened to reveal a very large dining room that was far to upscale for the two teenagers eating in it. He saw Alyssa sitting in one of the chairs, reading something. There was a half-eaten breakfast plate in front of her.

He plopped down into a seat across from her and engaged in light talk. Filling up a plate with breakfast food and sipped the tea before it cooled. Digging into the delicious food, he almost didn't see Sirius enter the room and take a seat. As Alyssa and Sirius spoke, he removed a scroll from a non-descript owl that had landed beside me. Handing the owl a slice of bacon, it nipped it and flew off with a soft hoot.

Setting his plate aside, he unscrolled it and realized from the handwriting that it was from Hermione. Already? They haven't been out of school for less than a week. Reading over her letter, she rambled on about mundane things until he got the part where she was going to snog me senseless the next time she saw me. Blushing, he nearly dropped the letter onto his breakfast plate.

Before he could say anything, Alyssa came to her feet and gave them a small smile and left the dining room. He turned back to his godfather and shrugged his shoulders.

"So what are you planning on doing today?" he asked, setting the Prophet down.

"I think I will take my broom out and fly for a while," Harry mused, taking a bite of his eggs.

"Hmm..well I don't have to tell you to be careful. There are plenty of wards on this place so no one will be able to see you fly. Have fun!"

An hour later, he was hovering fifty feet above the grounds staring out at nothing. The property was in the middle of nowhere. Alyssa had told me they owned nearly two hundred acres. IT was mostly wooded, except for the areas around the Manor and cottage. He wondered what sort of magical creatures lived in the forest surrounding the house.

Keeping himself away from the forest, he weaved around the Manor and around the open property until his stomach rumbled again. Landing swiftly on the ground, he noted their new home could really use a Quidditch Pitch. Maybe he'll talk to Alyssa about one. It shouldn't be too hard to have one built.

Finding Sirius and Alyssa already sitting in the dining room, Harry found a seat and sat down. Before him were platters of sandwiches and crisps as well as salads and a steak for Sirius. In front of him, in a pewter jug was pumpkin juice. Reaching for it, he grasped the handle and filled his glass full. Setting the jug back down, he drank half the juice before setting the glass back down.

Looking between a corned beef sandwich or a steak and kidney pie, Harry grabbed both and ignored Alyss and Sirius who were discussing re-opening his case and dug in. Taking the first bite of the steak and kidney pie, he nearly moaned out loud. This was better than Hogwarts. He looked around sheepishly expecting a Hogwarts house-elf to be standing there ready to berate him.

Halfway through his lunch, he swallowed the last bite of his pie and turned toward Alyssa and Sirius, "What do you think about adding a Quidditch Pitch on the grounds?"

Sirius stopped mid-sentence and shrugged his shoulders. Looking toward Alyssa, who shrugged as well." Why not. Sounds like a good idea."

"I can talk to someone about it if you want." Alyssa added, "Or Sirius can make inquiries under the Potter name."

Harry knew his excitement was about to erupt like a volcano. "Really?" he gasped, his mouth flopping open like a fish, "You mean it?"

"Why not?" Sirius shrugged again, "It would be good fun for you and your mates."

"Everyone but Hermione flies," Alyssa hid her smirk in her glass, her eyes dancing merrily at them, "but I am sure that Harry can get her on his broom."

At that moment, Harry realized that taking a sip of juice when one's sister is making lewd comments was a bad idea. He spewed pumpkin juice all over his corned beef sandwich. Choking on the liquid, he coughed trying to expel it from going into his lungs. Once settled, a dark blush tinted his face and neck, "I-well...I-"

"Oh, you! Calm yourself," his sister defended herself, still smirking. "I didn't mean it like that."

"Riiight...sure you didn't 'Lyssa." Sirius leered, rolling his eyes.

"I swear I didn't!"

"Yes, you did!" Harry glared at his older sister without malice.

Harry shook his head at his sister who huffed and frowned as she picked up her glass of juice and taking a small sip before setting it down. Eyeing the both of them, "Anyway, yes, we can put a Quidditch Pitch up."

Harry grinned and knew this was going to be the best summer a bloke could ask for.


	2. Return to Potter Manor Pt 2

**Next chapter up. Chapters 3-4 are written but need to be edited. As always: I don't own it. Enjoy! I will try to update as often as possible. :)**

**Alyssa POV**

A few mornings later, Alyssa was sitting around the breakfast table when Poe and Hedwig flew in through an open window. The flapping of wings startled Alyssa out of her thoughts and she nearly dropped her fork in her eggs. Landing softly beside Alyssa, Poe stuck his leg out with a scroll. She gave him an inquiring glance, but he just cocked his head at her. Setting down her fork, Alyssa untied the scroll and held up a link of sausage. Poe hooted merrily, nipped at it and flew off through the window.

She leaned back into her soft, yet upright chair and pushed aside her breakfast and palmed her wand. Casting a series of  _Detection_ charms over the unwrapped, yet mysterious scroll, it came up negative. Worrying her lower lip in her teeth, Alyssa unrolled the scroll, noting that it was from her former healer, Apollo Jaxson.

_Alyssa (Lanier) Potter,_

_I am not sure what you are requesting about information pertaining to your magical core. When I pulled your file (at the beginning of your first summer here) I noticed, after re-reading, that there was indeed something amiss with your magical core along with your HMI levels. They were far too low-which was a cause for concern since you were already in school and had time for your core to grow. It states that you were sent to the infirmary a second time with a broken wrist. When I healed your wrist, I ran another diagnostic and the levels were still low._

_I understand that you will be returning to Camp later this summer with your brother, who has been accepted. Will you please stop by the infirmary and we will discuss much further in person?_

_Sincerely,_

_Apollo Jaxson, Head Healer_

Alyssa frowned at Healer Jaxson's inquiry about her medical records from the Auror Camp. She could tell by his words that he was quite puzzled about it. She knew that whatever he had done during her second trip, with her broken wrist, had left a crack on her blocked core. Frowning, Alyssa set the parchment aside and grabbed her cup of tea. Inhaling the citrusy smell of bergamot, she sipped the still hot tea and contemplated what he might tell her. Taking a glance at the note again, she sighed and rolled it back it up and stashed it away.

Ten minutes later, as she savored the silence, Harry unsteadily walked into the large, open dining room where Alyssa was still nibbling on her breakfast. He yawned, scratched his stomach and ungracefully plopped down into a chair across from her and reached for the tea. She arched an eyebrow at him, but said nothing and wondered where he learned such horrible table manners. After the first few sips of tea, he sighed as the caffeine began doing its job.

"Morning Harry…"

"Morning Alyssa."

"It's 8 am, why are you exhausted?" she inquired.

"Sirius and I were up last night talking."  _Dear sweet Merlin, what has that man told my brother?_

"Uh-huh. Hopefully how to stay out of trouble?"

He gasped in mock anger, "You wound me, dear sister."

"Har-har...I'm sure," she muttered, turning back to her forgotten breakfast.

"So when do we leave?"

"We will be leaving on June 19th. Camp starts on the 20th…."

"How will we be getting there?" he asked, between forkfuls. At least he remembered to chew and swallow before talking.

"International portkey. We have to jump to Paris because of your blunder at school, then we will portkey to New York." She answered as she reached over for the  _Quibbler_. Normally she detested  _The Daily Prophet_  for its lack of genuine journalism but found amusement in the  _Quibbler_.

Before Harry could take another bite of his grilled tomatoes, the door swung open and revealed a very happy, but tired Sirius. "Good morning kids," he said, taking a seat across from them. Reaching around, he filled his plate up and reached for the only copy of the  _Daily Prophet_.

"Morning Sirius," they replied in unison but returned back to their breakfast.

"So what are you two going to do on your first week of summer break?" Sirius asked, taking a forkful of syrupy pancake.

Alyssa looked toward her brother and shrugged. She hadn't the foggiest idea what kids did on summer break. By now, living with her mother, she would be neck deep in chores that were to be completed daily and weekly. Judging by her brother's face, she could tell he would be in a similar boat.

"Not sure, why?" she answered, setting her glass of juice down.

"Oh..." he shrugged shoulders, "just wondering. Remus is supposed to be here once he's done packing up his place. When do you two leave again?"

"June 19th," Harry answered this time. "And I won't be back till almost the end of August."

"You mean, we will miss your birthday?"

"Don't worry," Alyssa interrupted, looking around the room, "I have something planned when we return from America."

Both Sirius and Harry raised an eyebrow at her but said nothing. Finished with her breakfast, she watched as they returned to their own food. In between a bite, an owl screech interrupted them. Everyone paused and turned to look at the opened window, in swooped a nondescript owl and landed beside Harry. The owl stuck its leg out and Harry hurriedly removed the awaiting scroll. The impatient owl hooted and flew off at once.

Sirius watched as Harry scanned through his letter and sniggered knowing that it was most likely from Hermione. He could have teased him, but he decided against it seeing the blush that bloomed over his godson's face. Taking a glance at Alyssa, who had immersed herself into the  _Quibbler_ , didn't see what occurred.

"They're still looking for me…." he muttered to no one in particular, "Well..good luck there."

Alyssa looked down and realized her own breakfast finished. She grabbed her letter and  _The Daily Prophet_  and pushed her own chair in quietly. She pressed a kiss in her brother's unruly hair and walked out. Taking a left, she strolled through the house and toward what used to be Grandfather Potter's office.

She pushed opened the dark wooden doors and stood there for a moment and absorbed the room. It wasn't huge, but space isn't a problem. The dark wood contrasted with the white fireplace that wouldn't be used again until wintertime. There were shelves lined with books that probably held financial documents and lazy reading material.

A small table designed to be a desk sat in the middle of the room with a white comfortable chair behind it. There was a leather chair in the corner and a globe in the other. It had been updated severely since Daddy and Lily had lived here.

She took a seat in the white chair and flipped through the pages of The Prophet until she found the sports section on page 9. As her brown eyes scanned down the columns of news and sports-related articles, she learned that the World Cup was going to be on August 18th. It was decided between Bulgaria and Ireland. Fabulous.

"Tye!" she called, setting the paper down.

"Youz calls Miztress?" Tye asked, appearing in front of her. He was one of the few Potter elves that she adored.

"The World Cup is on August 18th, and I am wanting to go and take several people with me. Is there a way to gather tents and tickets without leaving the Manor?"

"Of course! Tye can purchase everything youz need!" his eyes lit up at the thought of doing something different. "How many tickets do youz need?"

She thought for a second and counted on her fingers. She knew that her brother, Hermione, Ron and she would want to go. She figured Neville would want to go as well, he seemed like a nice chap. Then there was Henry and Will. She was quite sure they would want to go and of course, the resident canines would be invited. There was a slight problem, Sirius would need a disguise.

"Let see…." she said, sitting back in her chair and playing with her hair, "we should need maybe ten tickets. I am planning on owling one and asking two more. I am quite sure that Remus and Sirius will want to travel with us."

She watched as Tye nodded at her, but waited for more information, "B-but Lord Blackie can't go out in public!" he cried, grabbing an ear.

It seems that the house-elves have taken a liking to our Uncle.

Alyssa frowned and nodded at him and pushed an errant strand of hair from her face, "Too true. However, can we pick up some pre-made polyjuice from an apothecary? Can we do that?"

"Tye can find some! It won't be cheap Miztress," he warned her, catching her eye.

"That's fine with me. Money isn't the issue."

He nodded his head, his large ears perking up slightly, "How many potions do we need?"

"Enough for three days. I hope that will be enough. I am fairly sure no one knows he is Animagus."

Just then, Poe arrived once again with more mail. Landing on the desk, he stuck out his foot and nodded his head at her. Caressing his feathers, she gave him a small smile and he flew off. Turning back to Tye, she gave him a larger smile, "If I think of more, I will call. Thank you, Tye."

"Yous is welcome Miztress," he replied, smiling brightly before popping out.

She unrolled the scroll and saw the Auror Corp logo and realized it was her final paperwork reminding her that she was to arrive at the Ministry June 22nd, for her testing. When she joined the Junior Academy Camp a few years ago, she wasn't aware that she would have to take a certification test here in Magical Britain to keep her credentials.

**Harry POV**

Once a light dinner was over, Harry offered to escort his newly minted uncle to his cottage. He learned that Remus was a quiet man who offered silence but when he opened his mouth, he was a vast wealth of knowledge. It was as if he was the calmer and more mature version of Sirius. As they wound their way through the well-worn pathway of the estate, Harry realized he hadn't the foggiest idea how to get to Remus's cottage.

"How are your plans for the summer months, Harry?" Remus asked him as they strolled along.

"They're good. I mean, it's going to be an eventful summer. I will be gone for most of the summer because of the Academy," Harry paused, looking up at Remus. "I am looking forward to it, but it's..."

"Intimidating?" Remus offered gently.

Harry nodded solemnly, his gaze fixed on the dirt pathway. "I feel like I have to live up to Alyssa's image. I know she went there and I am assuming that she did well there."

"But you're not Alyssa..." Remus pointed out, nudging his distressed nephew. "I can understand your fear of not living up to her image. It's like..."

"Like living up to my dad's image." Harry finished for him. Remus nodded sadly but managed to give his nephew a small smile.

Remus turned and looked down at the young man that reminded him, physically, of his lost friend. There were many similarities but Remus knew that's where it ended. When Harry had stepped into his train compartment, he never thought that he would be walking beside him at the Potter ancestral home. It amazing how things change by opening a compartment door.

Knowing how well Harry did in his class the previous year, Remus held no doubt that the young dark-haired wizard beside him would do well at the camp. "How do you think you'll fair this upcoming year?"

The young wizard turned to him, "Not sure. I mean, Defense will be a cakewalk but the rest of my classes will be up in the air."

"Oh, why's that?" Remus inquired, keeping his eyes on the pathway.

Harry heaved a sigh and shook his head, "It's not that I don't like to apply myself, but there's no way to compete with Hermione…"

"I don't think anyone can compete with Hermione…" Remus muttered dryly, earning a smirk from his nephew.

"But Ron will have a fit if I tend to my studies more than talk about Quidditch. I love the sport and all but it's not what I want to do when I finish school."

Remus frowned hearing that Harry kept himself from reaching his full potential just to keep a friendship. Friendships weren't built like that. He would know. He, James, and Sirius were all talented in their own way making them nearly unstoppable as Maurauders. Maybe he would speak with Sirius while the kids were gone for the summer.

It wasn't as if he had anything better to do. He had lost his job due to the unfortunate circumstances of a full moon and his severe lack of reminding himself to take the Wolfsbane potion. He nearly killed Severus in the process-a thought that made the wolf in him howl in delight, but the wizard in him frown at the thought of murdering someone.

After fighting with Sirius for days about moving into Potter Manor, he realized that he sorely missed his best friend. He missed the company of other like-minded individuals. Of course, Sirius was far from scholarly but he was family and could be as vicious as a Death Eater when one of his family was threatened.

A few minutes later, they approached another round cottage, similar to Sirius's, and Harry led his uncle up the two-step stairs and pushed the door open. Inside was bare but Harry knew it was the same setup. He stood back and watched as Remus wandered throughout the small, but a quaint cottage.

Rocking himself on the balls of his heels, he wondered if he could commission one of these cottages when he graduated Hogwarts. Though, he knew, by the time he graduated, he would take over his role as Lord Potter. Alyssa would step down as his Regent. Becoming Lord Potter was far more nerve-wracking than kissing Hermione for the first time.

"Well, everything seems to be in order," Remus said, stepping out of the master bedroom.

"That's good," Harry quipped, "Will you be joining everyone at the Manor for dinner? Sirius does."

"I'd like that," Remus said, shooing Harry out of the cottage.

Remus watched as his young nephew bounded back down the worn path that they had just taken. He smiled and for the first time in a very long time, it was a real smile. Maybe things would start looking up for the downtrodden werewolf.

After leaving Remus to his newly acquired cottage, Harry leisurely walked back toward the Manor and enjoyed being outside. He wondered how much of his upcoming classes would be outside. He highly doubted there would be Quidditch matches involved, but he wondered if he would still be able to fly. His feet led him slowly back to the Manor and back inside the cooler atmosphere, he sighed shaking off the heat.

NOt in the mood to bother Sirius or Alyssa, he stomped up the main stairs and up to his room. Closing the door a minute later, his eyes surveyed the room and saw the large stack of parchment and books sitting on his desk. On top was the notebook that Alyssa had gotten him, Hermione, and Ron a few weeks ago.

Grabbing it, he opened the journal and flipped through the pages seeing them all blank. Harry wondered why on Earth Hermione would write to him by owl post instead of using this? Flipping the book over, he shrugged and grabbed a quill. Dipping the tip into the now opened inkpot, he put quill to parchment and wrote Hermione's name to indicate he wanted to talk to her.

When nothing happened, Harry growled in frustration and set the quill down. How did Alyssa say she got hers to work? Harry pondered for a minute before remembering that he needed blood to activate it. Reaching for his wand, he cut his pointer finger and held it over the opened journal.

Harry watched as the blood fell from his finger and splash onto the brown parchment. The bright red blot disappeared within a second. He hadn't a clue how to heal his finger magically, but raced into the adjoining bathroom to bandage it. When he returned to his desk, he noticed that there were several paragraphs from Hermione and one short one from Ron.

His friends had been writing him this entire time and in his own defense had forgotten about the journal until now. Fury and embarrassment flooded his face when he read over each of the notes that were sent to him. He began with Ron's first whose notes seemed to be much shorter than Hermione's.

_Harry mate! Isn't this journal thingie great? I know school hasn't been out but for a couple of days, but how's your summer? Has to be loads better than living with those muggles! Write back._

_Ron_

_(The second note went like this…)_

_Harry! What gives? Normally you always write back. Is that sister of yours keeping you from talking to your best mate? Let me know and I can spring you if you need it._

_Ron_

_(And the third…)_

_Harry! Seriously mate, what gives this time? Still nothing from you. Getting a tad worried over there. I have half a mind to send your sister a howler and tell her to release you to the Burrow. Where have you been? Mum is going spare that you haven't written back…._

_Ron._

As he read, he could tell that Ron's panic grew to unstoppable proportions. In his last note, Ron had demanded that Harry write back before Ron left the Burrow and hunted him down. Quite frankly, Harry didn't want Ron on his doorstep screaming at him for being negligent. Grabbing a quill, he dipped it in the ink pot before writing back. Telling Ron that he was fine and had forgotten about the journal until now.

_(Harry's reply…)_

_Ron, I'm fine. I just now found my journal and activated it. I have been busy getting used to living without the Dursely's. I swear I am fine and alive._

_Harry._

A few minutes passed when messy handwriting appeared and unluckily for Harry, it wasn't pleasant. He must have told his mum about the journal because it was full of capital letters and held a reprimanding tone about it. She went so far as to tell Dumbledore what happened. Incensed, Harry slammed the journal closed unwilling to read any more of her ranting.

_(And lastly from Molly….)_

_HARRY POTTER! Have you no shame? Ron and the rest of us are worried sick that you're being held captive with that sister of yours along with who knows who in that Manor! I have contacted Dumbledore about this irresponsible behavior._

_Molly._

Then he remembered, Hermione! Flipping it back open, he began the process all over again and read all of her letters. Unlike Ron, she had decided that Harry had been quite careless about adding his blood to the journal to speak to them. So, she wrote an owl. At least she didn't scream at him through a journal.

_(Hermione's first note…)_

_Harry! This is the coolest thing ever. Ron has been bugging me constantly about having me help him with his homework through this. Even threatening to use it during class! The nerve of him! I hope your summer has started well and I already miss you..._

_Hermione._

_(Her second…)_

_You haven't written me back Harry and this worries me. I understand you're probably settling in and trying to realize what it's like to NOT live with those horrible Dursleys, but really? You could send an owl…._

_Hermione_

_(And lastly…)_

_So, I have figured it out...you haven't activated the journal. I know this because Ron says you haven't written him back either. This is careless of you Harry. I am sending you an owl this time and when you reply back it better be in the journal. I miss you, Harry._

_Hermione._

_(Harry's reply…)_

_Hermione, I am so sorry! There have been a few things go on and Remus showed up to live here. When I came back from his cottage, I found the journal sitting on my stack of school books, (no, I haven't started my homework yet) and realized I haven't activated it. The Weasely's are going "spare" in Ron's words that I haven't written back. They threatened to retrieve me from here and Mrs. Weasley complained to Dumbledore about this._

_Not like I needed him to know….._

_I miss you too Hermione. It might be sappy to say, but I am counting down the days when we can see each other again._

_Harry._

Writing her back, he felt immense relief knowing that his own girlfriend wasn't angry with him. He could take Ron's anger any day but having Hermione angry with him left him feeling perturbed. When she responded, it was clear that he blundered, but she was happy that he finally got his working. They spent a few minutes writing back and forth about their summer and how they were going to miss each other, but couldn't wait till the end of the summer when they would reunite.

Harry had to let her know that the Potter library was huge and there were plenty of rooms to sneak off too. His main concern was being caught by Ron and his reaction to his best friends dating. Even after speaking to Sirius about it, Harry had his doubts. In the back of his mind, he knew this was going to blow up in his face.

When a house-elf popped into his room, startling the young wizard, he rolled his eyes at himself after the house-elf told him that dinner was ready. Harry turned back to the journal and wished Hermione a good evening. He closed the book a minute later seeing hearts splash across the page.

He pushed his chair in and exited his room to quickly make his way down the flight of stairs and into the main floor of the house. Harry heard something that was quite foreign to him, laughter. The laughter floated from the dining room where he could hear his Godfather tell a story about his and Remus's younger days.

Taking a seat a few minutes later, the family dug in and the only sounds followed were the sounds of silence as everyone ate.

The next morning, after he wrote in his journal to Hermione, Harry traipsed down the stairs. His growling stomach leading him to the dining room where he could smell the beautiful aroma of breakfast. After spending his first week here, he was finally getting used to not being up before the sun rose to make breakfast for the Dursleys.

It wasn't as if the house-elves would let him step into the kitchen to grab a glass of milk if he wanted it. He tried one night and had the life startled out of him when a very tired and cranky house-elf berated him until he caved and left the kitchen.

He pulled a chair out across from his sister, who was immersed in a book and started piling food onto his plate. Since school let out, and that he was able to eat whatever, Harry was starting to eat like Ron. Everything in sight as it were. Though, he had better manners. Within a few minutes, two sets of feet quickly stomped into the dining room. Both Sirius and Remus were talking merrily and shoving each other. Harry noted that they seemed younger when they were around each other.

Sirius plopped ungracefully in a seat and proceeded to load his own plate with food. Before he took a bite, he surveyed the room. Harry, like himself, had loaded his plate with food. Remus, with his penchant for raw food, was heartily digging into a rare steak and eggs for breakfast. Alyssa, who was still buried in her book, ate the least of all of them. When he asked, she simply told him that British food was far too rich for her Americanized diet.

As they sat around and ate breakfast, albeit a quiet one, Sirius realized this was his family. Sure, none of them were truly related with the exception of the kids, but it was family. After over a decade in Azkaban, he finally looked forward to his future. Today, once breakfast was done, he was going to inquire about getting a Quidditch Pitch installed on the grounds.

It would be a fantastic birthday present for Harry as well as a chance to play a pickup game with the rest of the family. That is if Alyssa flew. Later that summer, the house would have two extra teens added to their merriment. Thinking back to his conversation with his godson, he hoped that Ron would be mature about his friends dating and hiding the fact until the end of summer.

Remus, on the other hand, had no such qualms about his life at the moment. For the first time, he wasn't worried about what the day would bring. That he didn't have to stress about money or his living arrangements. He still needed to speak to Sirius about his place here but for right now, he was content to treat this as a vacation.

A vacation the werewolf sorely needed.

Now that he was unemployed, he needed something to do once the euphoria of not working wore off. Cutting into his steak, he suppressed a moan once the flavor of the rare steak touched his senses. He had to hand it to the house-elves; they knew how to cut steak for a man/wolf. When it was time for the full moon, Remus knew that he had two hundred acres to run about. Adding to that freedom, was a ward that would keep him from escaping elsewhere.

No more being locked away in a cell for the night. One of the incentives that Alyssa offered was unlimited Wolfsbane for him. He was quite amazed that she had been able to brew it correctly the first time for her Potions N.E.W.T.S examination. He thought about Harry, who was going to be away from this summer, and knew that whatever the camp threw at his nephew, he would come out on top.

He knew that his nephew was worried that he was going to be buried under Alyssa's achievements but until he arrived at the camp, he knew Harry had no way of knowing what she had done. He took another bite of his steak and realized that things were simply good right now.

Harry reached toward the honey when the owls swooped in from the opened bay window. He noted that it was Poe and a non-descript owl that settled on the table. The non-descript owl landed right beside him and eyed him with tired eyes. It dropped the package that it was carrying in its mouth on the table as Harry handed him a slice of bacon and a glass of water.

The owl hooted in thanks and turned away to eat.

Setting his half uneaten plate to the side, Harry pulled the twine from the package and watched as it grew larger before him. This action stopped everyone from eating and watch the scene unfold. Once the package was to its original size, Harry ripped into the package to find….clothes?

Setting the pile of clothes on the table, Harry pushed his chair back and stood up. Reaching for the first item on the pile, he pulled a pair of black multi-pocket pants. Hovering them over his body, he realized they were a bit longer than his frame. Setting them aside, he had another pair in khaki color. There were several shirts varying from black, white, and navy.

"What in the world?" Harry muttered, looking at his family.

Alyssa snickered, "Those are your camp uniforms. We will need to pick up a pair of dragonhide boots, gloves, and a wand holster before you leave."

"Those are uniforms?" Sirius asked raising an eyebrow and surveying the clothes.

Alyssa nodded at them, "They are. Everyone wears something similar. The camp is actually based off Muggle military boot camps."

"They're too big, Alyssa," Harry complained to his sister.

"They have an in-built automatic size charm on them. Once you put them on, they'll resize."

"There's a lot of pockets…."

"Those are good to hold potions or magical bandages. You'll learn all about it. I promise."

Harry nodded and folded the pants back up and picked the entire pile of clothes up. Now that he had his uniform, things started to seem real to him. Leaving the room, with his forgotten breakfast, he rushed up the stairs to try on the clothes. Safely inside, where no one would see him, Harry quickly stripped to try on the first outfit.

The plain black shirt and cargo pants instantly sized to his frame. He didn't feel like trying on the rest because he figured they would do the same. Stripping out of his clothes, he tossed them in the basket to be washed. Another thing he was happy for. The lack of chores.

Taking a seat, he opened the journal again realizing that there was something different about it. Inside there was a note from the Headmaster. Grimacing, Harry decided to read it first before he would give it to Alyssa and Sirius.

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_This is a wonderful invention! I hope that you will tell me who invented it. I received a distressing letter from Molly once it was revealed that you were not in contact with Ronald the past week. She wishes that you come to the Burrow this year since you have refused to go back to your relatives. I will stress that it IS important that you go back for a while. As your Headmaster, I strongly urge you to reconsider going back to your relatives, even if it is for a week. I will be contacting your sister about your imminent invitation to the Burrow at the end of the summer, as per normal._

_When you arrive back at Hogwarts for the 1st, I expect to see you in my office._

_Headmaster Dumbledore_

Fuming at the Headmaster's insinuation that he should go back to the Dursleys, Harry nearly ripped the page out before remembering to let Alyssa and Sirius read it. Grabbing the notebook, he refrained from reading Hermione's note and headed out the door. Finding Alyssa in the library, he noted she was standing in front of a shelf of books staring at it. Maybe she was reading the titles.

"Hey! Where's Sirius?" Harry asked, coming into the room.

He smirked startling his sister, "Not a clue, why?"

"There's something you two need to read…" Harry said, slamming his journal on the large oval table centered in the middle of the room.

"Have your house-elf grab him," she said, eyeing the notebook.

"Dobby!" Harry called and waited for the subtle pop of a house-elf arrival.

"Master Harry Potter sir! How can Dobby be helping you?" the small elf cried, tugging on his ears as his smile widened.

Crouching down to Dobby's level, Harry stared at the hyper house-elf for a second, "I need you to find Sirius and bring him here, please?"

Nodding his head enthusiastically, "Oh yes! Dobby can be doing that for the great Harry Potter. I be right back with paddy."

With a snap of his fingers, Dobby disappeared and Harry turned his sister, who was still eyeing the journal suspiciously. Seconds later, Sirius and Dobby appeared in the library. Giving Dobby a nod of thanks, Dobby smiled big and disappeared.

"All right, why am I here?" Sirius asked, leaning against the nearest couch.

"This…" Harry picked up the journal and opened it to the page of Dumbledore's message. Handing to Alyssa, she read it quickly and chucked it to Sirius who read it as well. Apparently, reading facial expressions was not one of his gifts because he couldn't tell if Alyssa or Sirius were angry.

"Well…" Harry pressed.

"That fool," Alyssa spat, crossing her arms.

"As your Headmaster…" Sirius mocked, his lips thinning tightly. "What's so important that you must go back to your relatives?" he paused and looked up at his godson, "Who are your relatives?"

"Vernon and Petunia Dursley." Harry and Alyssa said in unison.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me?" Sirius stood and started pacing the room. "Petunia Dursley? Lily's muggle sister?" He scoffed, feeling the anger threatening to burst through, "She hates anything with magic!"

"You aren't telling me anything I don't already know…" Harry murmured, looking down at the cherry oak table. In the middle, he saw the Potter crest carved into the wood.

Sirius turned to Alyssa fuming, "How long have you known?"

"Since the beginning of the school year."

"And you haven't told me?"

"Oh!" Alyssa shot back, "What were you going to do Sirius Black? Hmm?" she motioned for him to answer. "Burn their house down? Torture them a little? You tell me!"

"I would have done something!" he countered, his silver eyes shining brightly. Breaking his glare from his goddaughter, Sirius turned to Harry, "How long were you there?"

"Since the night mum and dad died."

"How did you…." he paused, the answer showing on his face, the anger evident in his voice, "Dumbledore."

"So yea, this is what's going on. I just can't believe Ron would let him use the journal…" Harry sighed, raising his head to look at his family.

"Well, now we know it's been compromised. Now Dumbledore has a way to get ahold of you...Or at least the semblance of getting ahold of you." Alyssa said as Sirius nodded his head.

"What do we do?" Harry asked, unsure of what to do.

"Nothing. I am sure I will have some sort of letter arriving shortly…." Alyssa sighed and rolled her eyes.

"And I will handle it." Sirius offered.

"How?"

"I'll read it and let you scream at it before we pen back an owl," Sirius said cheekily.

The clock in the library chimed a new hour. "I need things from Diagon Alley and Muggle London, Alyssa." Harry pressed.

"Right...we'll leave in," he watched as she checked her watch. "Fifteen minutes?"

Harry nodded and grabbed the journal from the table and exited the library. Heading back toward his room, he deposited the journal on his desk and slipped on his trainers. Closing the door behind him, he hurried down the flight of stairs where Alyssa was waiting for him with a portkey.

Hours later, the two teens returned back to the Manor to the wonderful smells of dinner. Hauling his bag over his shoulder, no one would have noticed the Featherlight charm on the bag. The bag was crammed with boots, gloves, wand holster, several bits of Muggle items he might possibly need, a rucksack, and a book or two about American Aurors.

Setting everything down, Harry began to remove everything from the bag and began the tedious process of packing. Once everything was shrunken down and packed away, Harry sat on his bed and realized that in a few short weeks, he would be using these things.

And that thought filled him with hope.


	3. Lazy Days at Potter Manor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Long-awaited. :) As always: I don't own it. Enjoy!

(All my work has been proof-read but not in detail. Thanks to Grammarly, I don't have as many mistake-mistakes as usual. As always: Enjoy!)

**Harry POV**

“You know there’s something we haven’t done yet,” a voice spoke up as Harry was laying across his bed in his room at Potter Manor. Laying the blue-green copy of  _The Standard Book of Spells Grade 4 by Miranda Goshawk_ , Harry looked up seeing his sister lounging against the doorframe to his room. She was dressed in Muggle clothes today in a light blue summer dress. 

“What’s that?” Harry asked, closing the book now. He was trying to get a start on his summer reading and homework, much to his chagrin. He wanted to have some of it done before he left for camp. When he returned, Harry knew he would be in no mood to do homework for several days. 

His Fourth Year books sat on his desk waiting to be opened up to see what kind of horrors the next school year would bring him. He already knew that Potions was going to be horrendous especially since Alyssa had graduated. 

“We need to go to Godric’s Hollow,” she said quietly, chewing on her lower lip. "To see mom and dad.” 

Harry swallowed a lump in his throat. Sitting up quickly, he crossed his legs in the Lotus position and looked carefully at his sister. She was right. They hadn’t been there. No one had offered to take him since he found out he was a wizard. Harry opened his mouth several times and gulped audibly to help clear out the silence that strangled him. 

“I--I don’t know where it is,” he offered lamely. 

“Sirius does,” she replied, motioning to come into his room. When he nodded, she crossed the room and sat down on his red bedspread. She refused to meet him in the eyes as she traced the gold yarn that reflected his loyalty to his Hogwarts House, Gryffindor. 

“Will he tell us?” 

She sighed and shook her head, her black-haired bangs obscuring her vision, “I don’t know. The last time he and I were there, it was that night.” 

That stopped Harry instantly. He didn’t think his sister would remember living there before their parents died, “Are you sure you want to go, Alyssa?” he asked with concern. 

He watched as she plastered a smile on her face and nodded at him, “Yea, I think so.” 

Harry nodded at her and realized that she wasn’t sleeping well. He, on the other hand, slept just fine at night.  Most nights he and Hermione would stay up and chat through their journals. He couldn’t make himself talk to Ron, not knowing who he was actually writing too. The stunt his Headmaster pulled put a new perspective for Harry keeping viligant about people. 

It still hurt knowing that Ron would sell out this incredible gift. It was given to them as a way to communicate easily during the summer months. When he told Hermione what happened, her response was quite abrasive. Harry was sure that Ron would get a lecture about it. Ron should have remembered the Headmaster’s intent on sending Harry back to his horrible relatives instead of with Alyssa for the summer.

_Needless to say, it was a lesson learned._

Now Harry was starting to regret inviting Ron to Potter Manor when he returned from America. It seemed odd that he, Harry Potter, was going on a trip like a normal person rather than locked up in a small room. He was sure that Hermione--with all her traveling had never been to America. It felt nice to do something first.

Getting to her feet, Harry watched as his sister picked at invisible lint on her dress before looking at him, “I will hunt him down, 'kay?” 

Harry started to nod but thought better of it, “Why don’t I go with you--that way he can tell us at the same time.” 

He slid off his bed and thrust his wand in his pocket. He moved to follow his sister out of his room. Closing the door behind him, he peered over the balcony of the second floor and looked down. It still amazed him that he lived here. From growing up in a cupboard to quite a large room in a bigger home that he could have ever imagined. 

Harry felt blessed indeed.

Traipsing down the hardwood flight of stairs, Harry made it a game to keep his feet on the dark green and purple rug that was kept in place with sticking charms. The off white staircase was pristine as it was the day the house was built. Harry had half a mind to use a ‘Point Me’ spell to find his Godfather but realized as he followed his sister outside onto the expansive grounds, they were heading to Sirius’s cottage. 

The overhead sun was hot as fire in the middle of June. Soon sweat started to trickle down Harry’s back and his shirt began to cling to him. Alyssa wasn’t looking any better than he. The lawn, while quite impressive, felt like it was missing something. It's why he asked for a Quidditch Pitch to be added to the grounds. 

Beyond the immediate lawn, the vast landscape was filled with various trees and plants that Harry hadn’t a clue about. In the distance, he could see a small building that was completely covered in glass and another that looked like a small tool shed. It was something else he could add to his list of places to check out. 

A scant few minutes later they arrived at Sirius’s cottage. It still annoyed him that the cottage was round instead of square, but nothing about the Potter’s were ordinary. Still following his sister, Harry lingered a few feet behind her when she strode up to the cottage and knocked. Hell, he would have just walked in. Aunt Petunia had instilled manners in him, but there were times the unruly, ill-mannered teenager came out. 

The door opened a second later when Sirius’s head popped out, “Firstly, what are you two doing here? Secondly, why are you knocking on my door?” 

Sirius, like a criminal under house arrest, was quite used to being on his own after his mad escape from Azkaban. Though, he realized he fared far better here at Potter Manor than he would anywhere Dumbledore might stick him. At least here there was a family. If Dumbledore had his way, Sirius would be stuck at Grimmauld Place. 

Since his arrival here, the former prisoner had undergone a massive change of appearance. Gone was the lanky, dirty, & malnutrition wizard. It was all thanks to a two month trial of nutrient potions that was given to him by a Healer that Alyssa’s boyfriend had introduced to him last year. 

Sirius was astounded by the new him. He was fit and active and felt younger than his years, but he knew he had a long way to go before he would be fully stable again. Mentally, that is. Right now, standing before him was his goddaughter, who looked like the Hogwarts Express rammed over her. Behind her, his godson stood there as she knocked on his door when they should be off getting into mischief. 

“We knocked Padfoot because it’s proper manners,” Alyssa drawled irritably. 

“Manners? Harry just walks in,” Sirius said, throwing his godson under the bus. 

“Hey!” Harry protested, looking at him with mock disdain, “I don’t see you knocking much on my door when you need to talk to me.” 

Harry watched as his Godfather wave his hand in dismissal as if it were water under the bridge. Sirius stepped aside with a sweeping gesture of his arm to let them in. Once Harry and Alyssa stepped into the bachelor pad, as Sirius had begun to call it, they turned to look at him expectantly. 

“From your grave demeanor, I take this is not a social call….” 

“It’s not Padfoot,” Harry said, flopping down in his favorite chair. Harry removed his glasses and ran his hands over his face. How was he supposed to ask Sirius to tell them how to get to Godric’s Hollow? Harry sighed deeply, opened his eyes, and put his glasses back on. He would do it if he could keep Alyssa from asking.

“We want to go see our parents,” Harry spoke up quietly, not meeting his Godfather’s eyes. 

A small hitch of breath broke the silence that had fallen over the trio and the young wizard waited with bated breath for an answer.

“I, uh,” Sirius coughed, trying to swallow a lump in his throat, “I mean, if you want too, I can take you.” 

“You really would?” Harry asked, ignoring his sister who had opened her mouth to speak. 

“Well yea,” Sirius replied quietly. “Moony and I was talking about taking the both of you anyway. I was just waiting for one of you to say something.” 

Harry rubbed his eyes as they began to burn. He couldn’t cry now. This was something he had wondered about since he found out he was a wizard. He remembered the Mirror of Erised, in his first year, showing his parents and how he wished they were alive. This was before learned about Alyssa.  Though he realized now, as he sat in Sirius’s cottage, he never envisioned more than just his parents. 

Opening his eyes, he slipped his glasses back on and the world came into focus.  Harry could see the unshed tears in Sirius and Alyssa's eyes. It appeared as if they were trying not to cry as well. This was going to be harder than the young wizard thought it was going to be. 

“Is it difficult to locate?” his sister spoke up breaking the tearful silence. 

“N--no it’s not," Sirius stammered, before taking a breath. " I don’t even think it’s under the Fidelius Charm any longer. Not since that night when that rat gave up the location,” Sirius replied. “When do you two want to go?” 

Harry looked at his sister in silent communication. He would be ready to go tomorrow, “I am ready whenever Alyssa is.” 

“Can you give me a few days?” she asked as Sirius and Harry nodded. 

Harry refused to sit any longer with his family as they reminisced about the last days of their parents. He didn’t even know what their faces looked like outside pictures. Coming to his feet, he nodded toward the both of them and motioned for Alyssa to follow him. 

Sirius watched as his two favorite kids stood to leave. He may not be their father, but he loved them just as much as if they were truly related. He stayed seated in his chair that he had magically found himself in and watched as they walked out the door. Neither of them saying anything but threw a small wave. 

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Sirius rose and walked over to his kitchenette. He opened the top left cabinet and pulled out a bottle of Blishen’s Firewhisky and popped the cap. Pouring himself a drink, he took the glass and the bottle and crossed the room to sit back down in his chair. Gulping down the firey drink, Sirius finally allowed himself to cry. 

 

*****

As Harry left his Godfather’s cottage, he hurried past Alyssa, who was leisurely walking and headed into the Manor.  The house-elves were busy preparing dinner for the family. Stepping into the large kitchen, the aroma of food tempted Harry’s stomach as he crossed the room. The dark-haired wizard snuck into the refrigerator and pulled out the ingredients to make a sandwich. He sat the ingredients down on the large antique butcher block island that was in the middle of the kitchen. 

Reaching for the bread box, Harry hoped the house-elves didn’t flay him alive for making food for himself. If he stayed quiet, maybe they wouldn’t see him. The young wizard shook his head at his own silliness. Quickly, before a house-elf could catch him, Harry had made a sandwich and began putting things away. Wrapping his pastrami sandwich in a paper towel, Harry turned to leave the room when he was stopped with magic. 

“Master Harry Potter sirs! Is that a sandwich I sees in your hands?” a kitchen house-elf dressed in a hot pink apron, named Gabby, frowned seeing his sandwich. 

“I, uh…” Harry began and stowed the sandwich behind his back, “not sure what you’re on about.” 

The house elf stared at him until he cracked. Sometimes, Harry realized, house-elves weren't any fun, “Yes, well, I made something for myself.” 

“Yous didn’t needs to be doing that! Gabby would have been pleased to make a sandwich for Master Harry Potter sir!” the small house-elf wailed dabbing her large eyes with her pink apron. 

“It’s alright, I promise,” Harry tried to reassure her. “I was just a bit hungry. I smelled the dinner you’re cooking and I wanted a snack…” 

“Well,” Gabby, the house-elf exclaimed, “next times you better calls one of us,” she said firmly pointing a finger at him. 

Harry nodded and slowly backed away from the house-elf and exited the kitchen. He stopped and glanced back at the kitchen door for a split second before shaking his head. He turned toward the stairs that would lead him back to his room and the homework he abandoned earlier. Hermione would be incredibly proud of him. He had half his Charms homework done and was preparing to work on his Potions homework next. 

Hermione pushed him for ages to get a start on his homework early since the summer after their first year.  _No use waiting until the last two weeks…_  she would mutter when he protested. Now they were dating, he was trying harder. Ron, on the other hand, would do his homework once he arrived at Potter Manor where Hermione would almost be forced to help him. 

Harry scowled as he passed the sitting room and the portkey entrance. He was guilty in nearly forcing Hermione to help him as well. Though, he did have his written and would always ask her to revise it for him. That counted, right? Stomping up the flight of stairs, one hand on his sandwich and the other on the banister, Harry climbed up to the second floor where the living quarters were. 

The third floor had several more rooms, library, and a study that Alyssa frequently visited. He was told that in the lower portion of the Manor resided a Potions lab, that had been his grandmother’s, and a dueling room that he had yet to explore. 

Dueling was something he hoped could get someone to help him with. Last year when Alyssa began working with him on family spells and beginner’s dueling lesson; he had greatly enjoyed learning. Hermione could surpass him in the theoretical aspects of magic, but Harry knew he was better when it came to the practical side. 

Pushing the door open to his room, he glanced around the bedroom and noted that Hedwig was still gone. Since the trio was gifted with the journals, Harry had little use for his beloved owl. So, he let her out to explore. Occasionally he would receive a post from Neville, who had learned about Alyssa becoming Regent of the Potter line and was aspiring to let Harry know that the Longbottom’s were willing to re-establish their alliance. 

It was strange knowing this. When he brought it up to Alyssa, she smiled and told him that she would look into it. Sirius, on the other hand, was willing to sit down with Harry and explain to him what was in store for him when he turned seventeen. They have yet to have that conversation. The upcoming trip to Godric’s Hollow would put a damper on anything that was related to Harry’s inheritance. 

Flopping back down on his bed, Harry bit into the sandwich and sighed happily. His journal glowed blue letting him know he had a message. He hoped it was Hermione. Merlin, how he missed her in the week since school had ended for the summer. He would truly miss her when he was thousands of miles away in America. 

Opening the journal, he looked to see who had written to him. It was from Hermione! Harry’s grin swelled to the size of the Hogwarts Quidditch Pitch. It always did when Hermione messaged him. Ron had written to him a few times and Harry preferred to keep things short between them. He was suspicious of who was writing him from Ron’s end. 

 

_Harry._

_I really wish you’d let me say something to Ron about what he did. It annoys me greatly that he would willingly give his journal to someone who clearly doesn’t have your best interests at heart._

 

_Harry could almost hear her sigh._

 

_Mum and Dad have asked me if I want to go to France for a few weeks while you will be in America. I really want too, but I want to be close to home. Doesn’t that sound silly? You will be over 3000 miles away from me and even further if we go! Too bad I can’t sneak over to America with you. The things you will learn!  I will admit, I am jealous, but you must teach me everything you learn. I miss you something mad and I can’t wait to see you in August._

 

_Love Hermione_

 

Harry re-read the last sentence several times and he could feel his heart aching to be close to Hermione. He wondered how Alyssa handled long distance relationships. He knew that while he was gone, the instructors would keep him busy from missing her too much. Grabbing a Muggle pen, he turned to a new page.

 

_Hermione,_

_I know you do and I figure it would be a waste of time to talk to him about it. I wonder if Alyssa knows how to stop the Headmaster from using it again? I think I will ask her later today and see what she says. She wasn’t the one who enchanted them._

 

_If you want to go to France, go to France. I know you want to be in England, but I won’t be home till the middle of August. And no, it doesn’t sound silly…..I would probably say the same thing if the situation was reversed._

 

_Only you would be jealous of not learning something new and I swear I will teach you all I will learn. Which I hope will be a lot. I miss you too Hermione and I can’t wait for you to come to see me in August. I am sure we can find plenty of places to hide….and snog._

 

_Love Harry_

 

He knew that he would teach Hermione and even Ron everything he would learn over the summer. It would be impossible not too. He wasn’t sure if Ron would want to learn during the summer. Picking up his sandwich, Harry quickly finished it and tossed the paper towel in the bin. His hunger satisfied for a moment, Harry reached over to grab  _The Standard Book of Spells Grade 4_  and another roll of parchment. He was determined to finish this before dinner. 

 

******

A house elf broke his concentration when Harry was close to finishing his Charms homework. The room had been eerily silent until a subtle pop startled the dark-haired wizard. 

“Master Harry Potter sirs! It’s time for dinner,” the house-elf’s voice rang out in the silence. 

Startled, Harry knocked over the ink pot and scowled at the interruption. Turning his head to the house-elf, who must have known he had interrupted the wizard, he frowned and sighed reigning in his irritation, “Thank you…” he paused, looking at the house-elf for a name. 

The house-elf, in the Potter house colors, realized what his Master was asking, “I is Kiko Master Harry Potter sir.” 

“Well Kiko, thank you for informing me,” Harry said sincerely. The house-elf nodded happily and vanished. 

Harry cleaned the ink blot mess and rolled up the now dry parchment. He sighed happily realizing that another bit of homework done. Closing the book, he tossed it on his cluttered desk and winced when several more books fell onto the floor with a dull thump.  _Well, that didn’t go as expected_ , he mused to himself. Using his wand, he levitated the rolled parchment on top of his shoulder bag. He was determined to get one more class done before he left. 

Rolling himself off his bed, he landed swiftly and planted his feet on the floor. His eye caught the journal and he remembered he needed to ask Alyssa about removing the Headmaster from it. He figured he would ask her at dinner. Stretching, he rolled his head around in a circle before he pocketed his wand. 

Exiting the room, he strolled down the hall and down the flight of stairs that led to the first floor. Crossing the entrance way, Harry worked his way back to the kitchens where the dining room was. He must have been the last one to arrive because he heard a multitude of voices in the room already. 

Entering the room, Sirius, Remus, and Alyssa were sitting around laughing about something. No one noticed as he stepped into the room and took his seat across from Alyssa. Harry looked around at the spread was immediately pleased. There were bangers and mash, beef wellington, steaks, an assortment of vegetables, rolls, and some kind of grilled fish for Alyssa. 

He noted that Remus’s steak was quite bloody which sent Harry’s stomach in a roll, but he shook it off and dived into the beef wellington and vegetables. It was strange to be able to eat what he wanted and when he wanted without being yelled at or struck by his Aunt Petunia. Normally, living with them, they would toss him the leftovers or scraps. Living here he would start to gain weight. 

He wasn’t sure how he was going to bring up the journal issue with Alyssa. As he chewed on the beef wellington, he thought about how he was going to approach it. While the young wizard thought and chewed he caught snippets of the conversation around him.

_“...charmed all the bathrooms…”_

_“Of course, Sirius made everyone pay a galleon…”_

_“Are there still any hidden?”_

Harry never noticed it had gone quiet. Too quiet. In the midst of thinking--which he knew was a dangerous thing to do when there were two Mauarader’s sitting at the table along with a sneaky sister, he had completely tuned everyone out. Still musing about the journal and his life in general, he never noticed that Sirius and Remus rose from their seats and crept over by him. 

“BAH!” two voices shouted right beside him. Startled, Harry dropped his fork and fell out of his chair. Laying on the ground, he blinked rather hard trying to figure out what had happened. Fixing his crooked glasses, he opened his eyes to see a laughing Remus and Sirius. A feminine voice followed. 

The laughter continued as he grasped the table and stood up to look around at his family who had just pulled a small prank on the boy-who-lived. No one but the Weasley twins had ever tried it. Though, this one didn’t involve potions or spells. Sitting back down he grumbled good-naturally at his family who was still smiling at him. 

“Are you finally going to join us, pup?” Sirius asked, taking his own seat. 

“Yea, yea…,” Harry grumbled into his drink. 

“Harry,” Remus began, hiding his smile, “what were you thinking about?” 

“Oh, um…” Harry stumbled, “about the journals…” 

“What about them?” his sister asked, her interest piqued. 

“Well, how do you remove the Headmaster from accessing it?” 

He watched as Alyssa sighed and wiped her mouth daintily with a napkin. Setting it down, he could tell she was thinking about how to answer him, “The best way is to deactivate the whole thing and start over. I mean, it’s just an enchantment.” 

“How do you do that?” 

“You’d have to have the one who enchanted it and then remove the enchantment. Wiping the slate clean--if you will.” 

“And who did that?” Harry felt like he was interrogating his sister.

“My Henry,” she said simply, grabbing her glass of juice, “And no, before you ask, I cannot get him here to fix the problem right now. All I can do is write to him.” 

Harry sighed. It was a solution, but not the one he was looking for. At least not immediately. Pushing his plate aside, he lost his appetite and grabbed the jug of pumpkin juice to refill his glass. Maybe something sweet would help? As if the house-elves could read minds, there sat before him was treacle tart. His ultimate favorite dessert. He could literally swim in it and eat it every day until the day he perished. 

Digging into his favorite dessert, he hadn’t taken the first bite when his Godfather spoke up, “So, I received a letter from the solicitor you two have on retainer…” 

Harry paused in mid-bite and looked toward Padfoot. The only reason why their solicitor was contacting Sirius was because of the hunt for his wand. Setting his fork down once again, Harry looked at the sweet concoction and knew this was far more important. 

“Draven Xander has been in contact with Gringotts about the Black Inheritance,” Sirius paused, pushing his own plate aside, “and informed me that I am still able to access the Black Vaults. Apparently, when that incompetent government of ours threw me into Azkaban, they never filed the paperwork prohibiting me from accessing the money. With that being said, I am going to hire someone to help track down my wand.” 

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Alyssa popped in. 

Harry watched his Godfather nod, “I do. I can’t go back to where it happened and trace it, but I am sure I can find someone who can at least find it.” 

“I can help you look into it while the kids are gone for the summer,” Remus offered. 

“That would be very welcomed.” 

“Didn’t you say it was at the Ministry?” Harry inquired, remembering a letter that Sirius had written Alyssa while they were in school. 

“I did, but you never know if I was being lied too,” Sirius muttered darkly. 

Harry nodded at his Godfather and quickly finished his dessert. There wasn’t any use to diving into this any further for him. Harry knew he was powerless to help Sirius find his wand. It wasn’t as if he could summon the wand to Potter Manor. The young wizards had enough to worry about. 

“Are both of you excited for the upcoming events this summer?” Remus asked, setting his wine glass down. 

“I am,” Harry answered confidently. 

“So am I, but I am dreading the separation,” Alyssa replied. 

That was the crux of the problem that had been niggling in the back of Harry’s mind since their arrival at Potter Manor. He had just found his sister and now they were going to be separated by thousands of miles. Even if it was only for a few weeks. Plus he had Sirius and Remus, whom he knew he would miss. Suddenly, he didn’t want to go to America. 

“Me too,” the dark-haired wizard confessed. “I mean, I realize it’s going to be for just a few short weeks, but I think we’ve all gotten….”

“Comfortable?” Remus interjected. 

“Yea, that,” Harry agreed, wishing for another slice of treacle tart. One of the house-elves must be psychic because another slice appeared in front of him with a dollop of vanilla ice cream. 

Giving a brief smile, Harry took a bite of the dessert mixed with the ice cream and instantly felt better. Once he was finished, he sat back and realized that maybe that second slice was a slice too many. He would have to go running tomorrow morning with Alyssa to burn it off. 

“I am going to head back to my room to start on my Potions homework,” he said, nodding his head to everyone. “I will see everyone in the morning.” 

Harry left the dining room in a subdued mood and wandered slowly back up to his bedroom where he knew Snape’s massive homework was waiting for him. The greasy git was giving everyone horrendous homework this summer to prep them for the upcoming year and quite frankly, Harry wasn’t feeling it. If he wanted to be an Auror, Healer, Curse-breaker, Unspeakable, or any of the other numerous jobs in the Wizarding World, he would have to have sufficient grades and this included Potions. 

Hunkering down for the night, Harry managed to get through the reading portion of the work and decided that it was a good start for tomorrow when he would be doing the writing portion of the homework. Sending off a goodnight note to Hermione, Harry remembered that he would have to tell Hermione about his upcoming trip to Godric’s Hollow, he then fell asleep with his glasses on.

 

**Alyssa POV**

Alyssa sighed as she laid in bed the next morning. The curtains were moving slightly letting a small breeze into the room. The outside world was cheery and bright. Inside the witch laying alone in the large bed, there was a dark storm brewing. She squeezed her eyes closed and rolled over burying herself in the covers. 

What had been thinking when she asked her brother if he wanted to go to Godric’s Hollow? What possessed her to even think about it right now? Alyssa shivered under the covers wishing Henry was with her. It wasn’t as if he knew what to do, but to have him hold her would be enough. At least temporarily. 

Ever since the summer began, it had plagued her like death to see their parents grave. She hadn’t brought it up to Henry at all, but he knew something was amiss with her. Out of all the people that she had grown close too, he was the one who knew her best. Alyssa smiled remembering how she met him and the subsequent knowledge that he was magical. 

_“Alyssa quit gawking and hurry up!” her mother hissed as they entered through the black iron gates that held the large racecourse. She was dressed in a light pink dress with black horizontal stripes and a flower design. On her poor aching feet was a pair of white heels and on top of her head a hot pink hat that slanted toward the left. She could feel the sweat form at the back of her neck and she wished she could do magic and cool herself off. Being in Britain they had their Underage Magic Laws that she would have to abide by._

_Alyssa was thirteen at the time and her mother and stepfather couldn’t find someone to keep an eye on her while they traveled to England for a day at the races, therefore; they had to take Alyssa with them. Her brothers were ahead of her dressed similarly to their father. The young girl didn’t see what was the big deal. Not two states away in Kentucky_ was _the Kentucky Derby. That would have been much Alyssa’s idea of fun, but her mother refused to go to the Kentucky Derby. Said it wasn’t prestigious enough._

_Once their attire was checked to meet the requirements, Alyssa’s mother led them toward the escalators that would take them to the room--or Enclosure as her mother called it, where her mother’s Pureblood family had a long-standing invitation too. With Alyssa being the unexpected addition, she was given a badge that let everyone know she was a guest and not a member unlike the rest of her family._

_While her mother and stepfather were socializing with well-dressed individuals, Alyssa kept her head down and stayed quiet. She was truly excited to be allowed to come and didn’t want to ruin her chances of coming back the next following year. Her brothers, while well-mannered, were quite unruly and ran off with a few boys that had arrived. Sitting alone, she looked over the racecourse and marveled at what was going to see._

_Alyssa truly realized that her mother and stepfather didn’t care about the race, but about talking to people that knew them and her mother’s family. A few minutes later, a line of carriages arrived bringing several people whom she had a small clue about. Though her mother didn’t care for her, she wasn’t going to let Alyssa’s ignorance ruin her day. Craning her neck in a very unladylike fashion, she caught a glimpse of inside one of the carriages that had two boys not much older than she with an older man._

_Once the procession was over, Alyssa sat back and people watched for a while. Suddenly, without warning, nature called and she cursed herself for having that one last drink. Exiting the Enclosure, she wandered around looking for a bathroom--or lavatory, as her mother would say but found nothing. She stopped and cringed when she heard a horn blaring and realized that the race was going to start and she knew that she was going to be in trouble. Turning around, she was halfway back--or so she thought, to their Enclosure room when she plowed into a tall person._

_“Oh! Excuse me,” she cried, reaching out and grabbing the first thing her fingers could grasp._

_Looking up, she snatched her hand away quickly realizing it was one of the boys from the carriages. Remembering what her mother said, she quickly curtsied regardless. The boy in front of her was tall with red hair and a cheeky smile._

_“It’s quite all right. Are you lost?” he asked gently._

_“I am. I am sorry I ran into you.”_

_“First time here?”_

_Alyssa nodded, not trusting her voice._

_“Then let me escort you back,” the redhead boy said, offering his arm like a gentleman which made Alyssa let out a small chuckle. Taking his arm, she tried to hide the embarrassment that she was feeling and kept her eyes focused on where they were going._

_“What is your name?” the boy asked, breaking the silence._

_“I’m Alyssa...Potter,” she replied, using her real family name, “and you are?”_

_The boy stopped and looked at her flabbergasted, then straightened himself, “I’m Henry.”_

_Alyssa caught his surprise, “I surprised you, didn’t I?”_

_“You did. Not many people haven’t a clue who I am,” he confessed leading her back to the Enclosure where her mother and stepfather were._

_Her fingers brushed lightly over the skin of his wrist and she gasped. She felt the magic coming from him. It wasn’t very strong like he was trying to hide it, but it was there. He narrowed his eyes and looked around and found a small alcove where they could speak quietly. When he was sure no one was listening he turned to her._

_“You--you’re magical!” she exclaimed in a whisper._

_“Please don’t say anything!” Henry urged her quietly. She could see the panic in his eyes._

_“I won’t. I swear it,” she vowed and a blue light shimmered around them. Fear overtook her and she began to fidget._

_“Are you?” he asked with trepidation._

_“I am.”_

_Another horn sounded and they could hear people calling for him, “I have to go. Can we talk again?” she nodded at him, “Take a left and you’ll be at the Enclosures,” he informed her and nudged her gently out of the alcove. She felt him follow her discreetly and smiled as she snuck into the Enclosure hoping to be undetected._

_The next year, Alyssa begged to go again._

 

*************************************

Another sigh escaped the young witch and she had planned to stay in bed all morning when her stomach growled viciously, reminding her that she needed to eat. She pushed the blankets off her and sat up. Swinging her legs over the side of the large bed, she took a breath and realized that she was missing Henry. They had not seen each other since the summer began. 

Entering the lavatory, she showered and fixed her hair before she dressed for the day. Summer in Britain had its advantages. It wasn’t as hot as Atlanta, where she had been sequestered for most of her life. The heat there was unbearable during the summer months. Here it was warm, but not sticky hot that left you in a wet puddle before the sun rose high in the sky. 

Leaving her room, she passed her brother’s and noticed the door was firmly closed. It wasn’t like him to sleep in. Between the two of them, he was normally the one up early. Traipsing down the flight of stairs, she eyed the portraits and wondered where the family portraits were. She and Sirius had a discussion about them a few days ago while her brother was out flying.

Stopping at the last step of the large staircase she peered into the lavish foyer and noticed how clean it was. It was a sight better that she wasn’t in charge of cleaning her mother’s house. As a matter of fact, she hadn’t thought about her mother’s family since they nearly destroyed her graduation day. She and Harry hadn’t spoken about what he had found out that day either. It was as if he had accepted it and moved on.

Wandering through the foyer, she headed back toward the kitchen and stepped inside. The house-elves were in the midst of cleaning the room. They all stopped when she walked in and headed toward the tea kettle sitting on the stove. Picking it up, she filled it under the facet and set it back on the stove, turning it on. Busying herself, she never noticed the frowns that crossed the house-elves faces. 

None of them would speak ill of their Mistress, but it did bother them that she would do something they could have done for her. Once her tea was ready, she fixed it how she liked it and walked out of the kitchen after cleaning up. Walking outside toward the conservatory, Alyssa pushed the door open and was immediately greeted by the numerous flora that was grown. There was a separate greenhouse for the magical herbs and plants that would be needed for potions. 

Taking a seat on the black sofa with red pillows, she leaned back and gazed outside through the large window panes absorbing the mid-morning sunlight. Alyssa sat in the silence, sipping her tea when a black shaggy dog wandered into the conservatory. She smirked and aimlessly scratched the top of Sirius’s head. 

“What are you doing here?” she murmured. 

In seconds, the black dog reformed into a man. That man sat down beside her on the sofa and looked at her. Sirius knew something was up when she and Harry had ambushed him yesterday about going to Godric’s Hollow. He stared at her for a long moment before a house-elf showed up bringing a tea seat. Absently nodding his head in thanks, Sirius made his tea and sipped it slowly. Remus would be along shortly. 

The door to the conservatory opened again, letting them know it was Remus. Remus walked into the conservatory for the first time since Oliver Potter was alive. Before him, sitting in the black and red sofas, was Alyssa and Sirius. Sirius gave him a silent nod and he came further into the room and took a seat opposite of them. 

Remus’s heart clenched knowing why he was here. Alyssa and Harry---whom he loved dearly, had asked to go to Godric’s Hollow. The werewolf knew this wasn’t a decision made lightly by the teens. Guilt crashed over him and he watched as his niece looked at him sharply. He winced forgetting about the empathic abilities. 

Being so close to his….well his family for all intent was uplifting to the lonely werewolf that had sent the letters to Alyssa’s mother all those years. He had hoped that she would come to love and cherish her daughter despite the circumstances. He remembered a letter he had received shortly after James and Lily were murdered that Lisa demanding that he, Remus Lupin, take Alyssa and raise her. 

He could have done it, he supposed. He could have hidden them safely away in the Muggle world since the Magical world was strictly anti-werewolf until she reached eleven and sent her off to Hogwarts. He was sure that he could obtain a magical guardian for her. There were a lot of things that he could have done but hadn’t the courage to do it. Some former Gryffindor he was. 

This was all after Sirius had been arrested. Once James and Lily were murdered, Dumbledore had no issue separating the two. Remus looked over at his longtime friend and thought back to those days. Did he truly believe that Sirius had sold out his family? That very day and the following years--he did. Did he think this way anymore? Not since Harry had helped them expose Pettigrew. Reaching toward the small table, Remus fixed a cup of tea as well.

“Alyssa,” Sirus began softly, “are you sure you want to go?” 

“I do,” she replied, setting her tea in her lap. 

“Go where again?” Remus asked, with a hint of confusion. He thought they were here to discuss the teens going to Godric’s Hollow? 

“Godric’s Hollow.” 

Remus swallowed a lump that had formed in his throat. No one had trespassed on those lands since the night of the Halloween murder. Taking a slow sip of his tea, he tried to suppress the onslaught of more guilt and sadness. No one should have died that night, but they why was never solved. 

The tired werewolf watched as Sirius sigh and nod his head at her in defeat, “Do you want us to go with you?” 

Alyssa nodded her head at him, the unshed tears making her eyes bright. Both men sat their drinks down and took her hand. Wiping a few stray tears, she smiled at them both, “It’s going to suck, isn’t it?” 

They chuckled and nodded at her. She gave a watery smile trying to push past everything. She knew this was affecting everyone in the Manor---including her brother, who seemed to keep it to himself how he was feeling. She wondered if he would tell Hermione? She wanted to tell Henry but she knew he would worry for her. 

Her stomach rumbled again and she stifled a chuckle. She was starving. It was past noon. Henry would already be berating her after learning that she had not eaten since last night. Speaking of him, she knew she needed to sit down and write to him. Alyssa quickly decided to tell him about Godric’s Hollow and they would figure out how to work their summer schedule’s. 

“I’m starving,” she said aloud and before she could blink, one of the kitchen elves left a platter of sandwiches and crisps on the table. “If I wasn’t so used to magic, I would say that was a tad creepy.” 

“That a house-elf knows when you say you’re hungry?” Sirius gave her a bewildered look. 

“Only that he knows when to deliver food…” 

“How is Harry taking this?” Remus asked, reaching for a turkey sandwich. 

“I hope well enough. He didn’t say much to me about after we left Sirius’s cottage,” Alyssa replied, taking a bite of her roast beef and mustard sandwich. “Would one of you talk to him about it?” 

Remus eyed Sirius as if they were competing on who would speak to the young wizard. It was entertaining at least, but Sirius won that round. Between two kids, they split their time with each. Remus and Alyssa preferred their books while Sirius and Harry preferred to play Quidditch. Giving his friend a defeated nod, Sirius perked up and gave a small victory dance. 

****

Later that evening, Alyssa was sitting on her bed reading through  _Healer’s Magic 101 by Doro Norman_  to get a jump start on her first term for Healer school. In her ears, American music blared loudly that she was quite surprised that she had not gone tone deaf. While magical music was fine in moderation, she found that she couldn’t get into it like her former classmates. 

In the corner of her eye, she saw a black form sweep into her room through the magically charmed window that Poe would enter. Lowering her book, Poe was perched on her  _Healing Spells for Beginners by Stella Vergar_ a with a scroll in his beak. Raising an eyebrow at him, she briefly wondered who would be owling her that it couldn’t wait until morning. Setting her book aside, she crawled across her bed and gingerly took the scroll from his beak before giving him a gentle caress. 

Giving her a small hoot, he lifted up and flew back toward his perched where he watered and fed himself before falling asleep. She looked at her owl for a moment before looking down at the scroll still clutched tightly in her hand. Reaching for her wand, she cast a Detection charm on it. Revealing nothing, she broke the seal and pursued her lips seeing the emblem of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. 

As she scanned the letter, she felt a sigh of relief course through her. It was a notice that her Auror training would be reduced to finals. It noted that the Department had contacted Stephen Hatter inquiring about her training at the Junior Auror Camp and he gave a ‘glowing’ recommendation that she could pass the required classes. 

Easing off her bed, she walked over to her desk and pulled the rolltop open and fished out her twelve-month calendar and flipped to June to August and calculated that she would only have to be there for two weeks instead of four. Grinning, she gave a little victory dance and realized that once she was done, she would have at least a few weeks of quiet to help Sirius and Remus work on exonerating her Godfather. 

Happy with this new bit information, she closed the desk and reached for her journal to inform  Henry about the change in her summer plans. 

 


	4. Return to Godric's Hollow

Return to Godric's Hollow

Harry POV

Grabbing his journal, he flipped it open seeing a quick message from Ron who rambled on about how dreadful his summer was and wished that Harry wasn't leaving in a few days. Scribbling him back quickly, Harry was most eager to tell Hermione about heading to Godric's Hollow.

_Hermione_

_In the next few days, Alyssa, Sirius, Remus and I will head to Godric's Hollow to see our parents. I want to do this but I am unsure about it. I don't know what I will find and I don't know how I will handle it. I really wish I could remember my parents as Alyssa does, but she's given me plenty of stories but it's not the same, you know?_

_I just want you to know this in case I don't write to you for a day or two. I miss you like mad and I can't wait to see you in August._

_Love_

_Harry_

It was three days before they would leave for America and as Harry looked around the room; he realized he would miss it. Spending time alone was a precious commodity that he had grown used too. Now he would spend it with several others for a few weeks, though, it shouldn't be any different from living with four other boys at Hogwarts.

Stomping down the stairs after writing back and forth with Hermione, a grin plastered on his face, he jumped off the last step and headed toward the dining room for lunch. He walked into the dining room seeing his Godfather and quasi-Uncle in there already digging into the assortment of food.

Taking his usual seat, he reached for the jug of juice and poured a large glass before setting it down. Surveying the food, he grabbed two different sandwiches and a fresh vegetable mix. He completely ignored the rest of his family, still smiling about his latest talk with Hermione. Ron had written him several times, but Harry had kept it cordial and the usual talk between teen boys. He still didn't trust that the Headmaster wasn't reading it.

He was halfway through his second sandwich when he finally looked up and saw his Godfather and his uncle staring at him. "What?" he asked, setting the sandwich down feeling paranoid.

"Nothing pup," Sirius remarked.

"Nothing at all…." Remus added.

"What did you two do?" Harry narrowed his eyes at them.

"Oh, nothing…"

"I really don't believe you, you realize this?" Harry said, sitting back in his chair.

"You wound us cub," Remus spoke up, sipping from his glass.

"No, I don't. You two are Marauders, so there's no telling what's going on or who you are pranking."

"Ya hungry?" Sirius chuckled quietly.

Harry knew instantly something was up. Looking to his plate, he noticed his sandwich had tripled and were still growing. Before too long, the stack of sandwiches was halfway to the ceiling. Turning to his family, he rolled his eyes and glared at them. Reaching for a sandwich, he was thrown back in his chair when the sandwich started screaming profanities at him.

"Where's Alyssa?" Harry asked gruffly, once he recovered from the stack of screaming sandwiches.

His Godfather and Uncle looked at each other and grimaced. Sirius gave Harry a pointed look which brokered no argument. "She's in London until tomorrow morning."

Harry instantly knew what he was talking about. There was only one reason Alyssa would travel to London, Henry. Shaking his head at the male counterparts of his family, Harry pushed his chair back and left the room. He wasn't angry that Alyssa left to see her boyfriend. It was just that he wanted to spend more time with her before they parted for the summer.

Strolling through the kitchen, Harry narrowly missed colliding with the rampant house-elves and escaped unscathed to the backyard where his broom was located. Grabbing it, he mounted it and lifted off high into the sky. The sky above him was a pretty blue with barely a cloud in the sky.

Below him, he could see the massive forest that expanded as far as his bespectacled eyes could see. Weaving around the Manor, he leisurely flew for a while before landing. Harry had picked out the spot he wanted the Quidditch Pitch to be located and noticed the elves had cleared out the area already. He wasn't banking on a large Pitch, just big enough for pickup games.

He walked through the Manor after depositing his broom outside in the closet that housed some outdoor gardening tools. Harry knew each tool intimately thanks to his Aunt Petunia. He briefly let his mind wander about her and how she was doing without him there. He realized that he never left a note for his Muggle family.

Despite how they treated him since his toddler years, he felt guilty.

When a house-elf popped into his room a few hours later, announcing dinner, Harry set aside his Potions homework. He cursed Snape and grumbled quietly to himself about having to stop in the middle of the horrendous homework. Pushing his feet into his shoes, he marched into the dining room a few minutes later.

There sat his sister looking like a bright ray of sunshine. She was chatting quietly with the male counterparts of his family and they seemed as if they were having a swell time. Taking a seat across from her, he hesitated to ask her about her trip to London. He knew it would be impossible to have Hermione visit him on such short notice.

"Can we duel tomorrow?" Harry asked suddenly, interrupting the 'adults' in the room.

"Sure we can," his said smiling at him. "Do you want these two troublemakers to join us?"

Harry looked warily at his family, but nodded anyway, "That would make things interesting. What would I be learning?"

He watched as she pursed her lips and though it over, "Probably Fourth Year spells."

"Why not Auror spells or Potter spells?" he asked, twirling his fork into his pasta.

"Because they will teach the Auror spells over the course of the summer and I suppose we can throw in Potter spells," she paused, taking a bite of her pasta and chewed before swallowing. "I haven't finished reading the Grimoire either."

"When will I get to read the books?"

She shrugged at him. "I should finish them this summer and you can read them over the school year if you like?"

"You sure about that Lyssa?" Sirius questioned his goddaughter.

"Yeah, I mean it's not like anyone but Potters can read the books," she told him.

"While this is true," Sirius started, taking a sip of his wine. "Are you sure you want them at Hogwarts?"

"I can take care of them!" Harry defended himself. All the adults nodded at him and Harry felt this was a small victory.

"You can, but…"

"When do the two of you want to go to Godric's Hollow?" Sirius interrupted the incoming spat he had no interest in hearing. This question stopped the two teens and he could have smirked if the situation wasn't so serious.

"I, uh, well…" his godson stammered, looking anxiously at everyone.

"What about the 18th?" Alyssa quipped.

"As in the day before we leave?" Harry asked, his mouth gaping over.

"I know it's not ideal for us to do it the day before we leave, but when are we going to get the time to do it this summer?" she pointed out. Remus nodded at Harry.

Crossing his arms, Harry contemplated her words. He would be gone till August 10th, Alyssa would be in London that weekend, and then Ron and Hermione would spend the last two weeks with him. "Why not go tomorrow and do the dueling the next day?"

"We could do that," Sirius said, eyeing the two teens. "We'll need a portkey to get us there."

"I can make a portkey, but I don't have the foggiest idea where Godric's Hollow is. The last time I was there, I was five, " Alyssa whispered.

"I'll make it," Remus spoke up, catching Sirius's eye. "I remember where it's at."

"You know, Godric's Hollow is the name of the town," Sirius said, looking into his wineglass. The dark red liquid stared back at him and he felt that he needed something stronger to drink. "The house is called Potter Cottage. It's been in the family for centuries. Just like this place."

He watched as Harry and Alyssa nod. Both of them seemed contemplative about the whole ordeal. He should have done something about it years ago before he lost his mind and raced off to get his revenge on Pettigrew. Never in a million years did he ever suspect Peter for his ultimate betrayal. All the years in Azkaban, he wondered what we wrong. How he could have changed things, but he knew that it was nearly impossible to go back in time.

If he could, would he be able to spot the treachery? Help his best friend turned brother escape or raise the two teens who were sitting at the table with him? Even to this day, the former prisoner knew that he'd been a fool that one day he hoped they would forgive him for his idiocy.

"And now it's in ruins, isn't it?" Harry asked, pulling Sirius from his thoughts.

He nodded sadly. "It is. I haven't been back since that night, but I know that it's ruined."

"Then it's settled," Harry said. "We'll go tomorrow."

The next morning Harry rose with dread in his heart. He had longed to see the last place their parents had been alive. Even to see their graves for years and now today was the day. Fear and nervousness clenched his heart, and he had to breathe heavily to keep his lungs working. He wasn't nearly as ready as he thought he was.

Lying in bed, he could hear the gentle tapping of the rain that pelted the large window in his room. The greying clouds outside reflected his mood, and he was fairly sure that everyone in the Manor and cottages was feeling it. Rolling over, Harry grabbed his blankets and pulled them over his head and hid. Burying himself under the warmth of the blankets, he closed his eyes and soon fell back asleep.

When he awoke later, there was a shimmer of sunlight streaming into his room. The rain must have moved out of the area, but he knew that today would not be sunny. Throwing the covers off him, he laid there for a moment before reaching for his glasses on the bedside table. Slipping them on as the world came into focus, he realized two problems: one; he was hungry and two; he didn't want to interact with anyone.

Sitting up in bed, he ran his fingers through his already messy hair and sighed, "Dobby!" he called out quietly.

A subtle pop sounded in the room and the house-elf that had declared that Harry Potter was the best thing besides socks stood there staring at him with large eyes. Dobby was clothed in what looked like dark trousers and a red shirt with the Potter crest on it.

"Master Harry Potter calls for Dobby?"

Harry nodded at the elf. "I did. Can I have breakfast in my room today? I don't feel like seeing everyone."

Dobby nodded his head profusely. "Oh yes, Master Harry Potter, sir! Dobby can do that for you." Disappearing from his sight, Harry scooted off the bed and waited patiently. In a matter of minutes, Dobby returned bringing a full English breakfast. Harry's stomach clenched and grumbled loudly smelling the delicious food. With a snap of his fingers, Dobby cleared off the messy desk and set the food on it before giving Harry a wide smile.

"Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"No thank you, Dobby. This looks great." Harry said smiling back at his friend. With a nod, Dobby disappeared from his sight and Harry hurried over to the desk and put everything on a plate and sat back down on his bed. Sitting in a lotus position, Harry dug into his breakfast with gusto. He finished the first plate and went back for seconds before he finally felt full.

Half an hour later, he was showered and dressed. A knock on the door paused his shoe tying, and he looked up, seeing the door open slowly revealing a tired Sirius. Harry wondered if his Godfather had gotten any sleep the night before. Lacing up his trainers, Harry stood and walked over to Sirius and embraced him. They stood there for a moment, then released each other.

"You ready to go?"

"Not really," the young wizard replied. "But I am going."

Following his Godfather down the stairs, he noted that Alyssa and Remus were waiting on them. In his hands, Remus had an old book that Harry figured was a portkey. When they reached the bottom step, he forced himself to keep walking. Where were this fear and trepidation coming from? Harry knew something was amiss because normally he was fairly courageous.

"Everyone touch the book. It will take us to the center of the village," Remus instructed, looking everyone in the eye. All nodded, and each person reached out and placed a finger on the book. In an instant, Harry was jerked by his naval and spun viciously in the air.

As the spinning stopped, Harry could see the ground approaching as he fell from the sky. Landing roughly on his back, he groaned rolling over onto his stomach and peered through his glasses. It appeared they were in the center of the village. The surrounding air was deathly still and Harry wondered if that was a good thing.

Coming to his feet, he noticed that the rest of his family had landed gracefully on their feet. Scowling at them, Harry turned back toward the village. From his vantage, he could easily spot a post office, a small pub, and a church. From where he was standing he could vaguely smell sea salt from where they were located—which meant a body of water was a few miles away.

The village looked deserted, but Harry knew that had to be impossible regardless of what happened here that fateful night. He looked over toward the others and saw they were surveying the village. None of them looked comfortable that it was quiet.

Sirius cleared his throat, his eyes alert to the uncommonly quiet village, and he looked toward everyone. It seemed as if they were doing the same thing he was. Watching. They were prepared to attack. He hadn't been back here in years. "It will be this way." Everyone nodded and followed him. Sirius led the group while Remus covered the back. Even if they were here, it still wasn't fully safe. Any Death Eater could find them and attack. Sirius walked with a purpose.

Harry followed behind his Godfather. His eyes wandered as he tried to see everything in the village before they would arrive at Potter Cottage. He knew the Fidelius Charm was broken as soon as Pettigrew betrayed his family. The wards around the cottage must have shattered the second the Killing Curse rebounded back to Voldemort.

Walking down a long winding paved road, there was a slight breeze that cooled them in the damp heat of summer. The trees were overgrown, and the grass seemed to be as high as his ankles as they walked away from the village and further into the countryside. Did Sirius really remember or was he avoiding?

As they walked, they passed an old church that seemed to be even quieter. It was beside a large field with a kissing gate that led into a cemetery. Harry's heart clenched, knowing it was not only full of Potters but his own parents. Averting his eyes, he heard a small gasp from beside him. Looking at his sister, she grasped his hand tightly tears already welling in her eyes.

Giving her hand a small squeeze, they ventured on past the church and the cemetery. The long winding road led them further away from the village, and they passed a long row of houses that were situated on each side of the road. Taking their time, they knew it was only a matter of time until they came upon Potter Cottage.

Harry was lost in his own thoughts that he ran into the back of Sirius. Grumbling about how he plowed into his Godfather, Harry looked around him and he felt a cold dread seep through his bones. Before him stood the partial destruction of Potter Cottage.

The rock fence that surrounded the property seemed untouched. The hedge and flora grew wild and unruly. The grass was knee-high, which meant it had been taken care of previously but so far not this year. Harry wondered who had stepped through the fence and taken care of the yard? They all stood there looking at what used to be a cottage, much like the ones they had seen. Harry noticed that Voldemort demolished the second floor, and he figured that was his room where the spell backfired decimating Voldemort.

A hand laid upon his shoulder and he reveled in the comfort he was receiving. He didn't have to turn around to know it was Sirius. Alyssa still gripped in his hand and painfully squeezed it. Placing his free hand on the gate, he nudged it open, and it swung open with a small creaking sound. Stepping through the fence, he felt Alyssa drop his hand, and he ignored the emotions coming from the surrounding people.

It surprised him he could tune everyone out. It had been a wile since he had concentrated this much. Alyssa had stressed to him during the school year that he could slowly pick up more of the emotions around him as he aged. The walkway was cracked and weeds were spitting out from the Earth below it. Harry could only imagine what it was like that fateful Halloween night when Voldemort walked this same path that led to the light blue front door. He could feel Sirius behind him as they walked closer to the front door.

Stopping in front of the blue door, he peeked in through the large window that was split into four sections. Inside the house was dark, but he could see streams of light shining in from the windows. Placing his hand on the black doorknob, Harry twisted it and it didn't turn. Frowning, he tried again until Remus stepped forward and used his wand to unlock it.

He stepped back and took his place by Alyssa, who was barely keeping herself composed, and Harry tried again and the knob twisted and he pushed the door open. Harry tiptoed carefully inside and didn't like how silent it was. Behind him, the rest of the group tiptoed inside and they all stood in the home's foyer.

To his right, Harry peered into the sitting room. It had a red couch and two red matching chairs. In the far end of the room stood a fireplace with a large landscape portrait above it. There was a flight of stairs in front of him and a long hallway that must lead to the back of the house. Harry wasn't sure where he wanted to go. Everything looked untouched.

As if no one had lived here in over a decade.

There was still a blanket thrown haphazardly on the couch and an open book on the coffee table. The fireplace still had ashes in it. Taking a step toward the stairs, he stepped on something. Peering down, he saw it was a stuffed gold and pink griffin. Alyssa gasped from behind him and she pushed him aside to retrieve it. He watched as a tear slid down her face as she hugged it close to her.

He knew this trip would be emotional for everyone—especially the ones that could remember the days and nights before. Grasping her hand again, he led them slowly toward the back of the house. Walking into the kitchen, he could see an outside conservatory that still had plants in it. The kitchen was a wreck. Broken glass and cutlery everywhere. Dishes in the sink and he was sure there was food still in the cupboards.

Sirius and Remus left them to explore the conservatory, and he and Alyssa stood there in the middle of the kitchen in awe. There had been a fight in the kitchen. Looking around, Harry could see scorch marks from spells mark the walls. Paintings that once were held up by sticking charms had fallen on the floor and shattered.

Harry turned to look at his sister, who was pale as a ghost. "Alyssa, are you all right?"

"N—No," she whispered. "I can hear the fighting."

It stunned Harry. How could she remember that? She was about five when it happened. Harry watched her carefully, in case she fainted on him. He was dreading going up the stairs to the second floor. He knew their rooms would be up there. Looking away from her, he watched as Remus and Sirius stood in the conservatory talking.

Turning back to her, he sighed. He needed to know, "Where did you find dad?"

She paled even further—if possible, and her hands shook. Not only could Harry see the fear in her eyes but he could feel it coming off her in waves. She turned her head back toward where the kitchen table had once sat at stood still. Harry whipped his head around and saw a dark scorch mark on the floor. The table had been removed, but Harry knew that this was where James Potter had fallen to Voldemort.

He suddenly felt sick. Stepping away, as if he was standing on his father's corpse, Harry felt his hands shake. He needed to get out of the kitchen. Jerking Alyssa roughly, he pulled them into the hall and leaned against the wall breathing heavily.

"Th—that's where you found him, wasn't it?" he asked hoarsely.

She nodded mutely, her eyes red from her crying.

"I want, no I need to go upstairs." he looked back at her. "Are you coming with me?"

He watched as she craned her neck to look up at the ceiling and shudder. Their combined emotions rolled through him like the Hogwarts Express. Looking back at him, she shook her head. "I can't Harry. I just can't."

He nodded in defeat. He should have known that she would decline. If the roles had been reversed, he didn't think he could do it either. The soft shoes on tile interrupted them as Sirius and Remus walked through the kitchen. Neither of them looked toward where the kitchen table had been at.

He looked carefully at his uncle and Godfather. They seemed to struggle to cope with the overwhelming emotions that were associated with this trip. "I'm going upstairs," he murmured quietly.

"I'll go with you," Remus said, nodding his head solemnly.

Harry turned and walked away without another word. He could hear his uncle's footsteps pad softly behind him. Placing his hand on the railing of the stairs, Harry hesitated but took the first step, anyway. One small step at a time he traveled till he reached the very top. He stopped and looked around. To his right, there were two doors. One down the hall that must have led to a bedroom and the other he assumed was a lavatory.

The walls were a cream color with gold and red in the paint. The rug was a maroon color that ran the length of the hallway. Ceramic pots that probably once held beautiful flowers were empty. In the middle of the hallway was a large portrait of his parents, his sister, and himself. They were smiling. You could see the love and the magic in the picture. His heart clenched, seeing his parents in their youth.

Harry felt a strong breeze pass his legs, and he turned his head slowly toward the room on the left. He walked toward the doorframe and nearly crumpled at the sight of the destroyed nursery. Inside was a mural of a Quidditch Pitch and flying athletes on brooms on the wall opposite of the destroyed half. Harry saw his bed and a dresser. Those were the only two pieces of furniture that seemed to have survived the blast.

Staggering inside, he didn't even feel Remus's hand on his shoulder, guiding him and holding him steady in case he faltered. His eyes searching the room for anything that might help him remember that night. There were no scorch marks on the walls, but he noticed a blackened spot on the carpet in front of his bed. This is where he vanquished Voldemort's body that night. Lying beside the bed was an athame.

Crossing the room slowly, Harry crouched down and investigated the athame. It was ancient, he could tell because it had a black handle with rune engravings. They made the blade out of stone. Harry feared to touch lest he conjured something he wasn't prepared to face. Rising to his feet, Harry surveyed the room again seeing nothing that he could remember.

"Harry, are you all right?" Remus asked softly.

Walking through the door of Potter Cottage earlier had Remus all in knots. He remembered the last time he was here. It was the last Christmas the Potters were ever to celebrate and after that Remus had a hard time coming back to the Cottage. The guilt the old werewolf carried nearly destroyed him once he found out his family-his pack, had been murdered. He didn't even try to help Sirius when they had him arrested.

Following Sirius and the teens into the cottage, he looked around and could sense where James had died though no one had told him. As he stood in the conservatory with Sirius, he said nothing as his best friend wept silently for their loss and ultimate betrayal. And now, in the same room where Lily had been killed, he stood silently with Harry as he watched his nephew wander through the room that was the last memory he had of his mother.

"Remus," he heard Harry whisper hoarsely, "please get me out of here…"

Hurrying toward his nephew, he gently tugged on the boy's arm and pulled him from the room. It shattered the werewolf's heart to witness this, but he knew it needed to be done. Keeping a gentle grip on Harry, he pulled the door shut with an audible click. He stood and watched as his nephew struggled to keep his composure. Remus did the one thing he knew best, he pulled Harry into an embrace and refused to let him go.

Remus stood there, holding Harry, as the young wizard sobbed into his robes. His frame shook against his own body. He could feel the depth of Harry's sorrow as they stood there on the second floor. Closing his eyes, he wished and prayed that things were different, but when the werewolf opened his eyes; things were still the same.

It had shocked Harry when Remus pulled him close and the tears unleashed on him. Burying his face into his pseudo-uncle's robes he sobbed for the life that had been denied of him. For never knowing his parents. For living in hell for over ten years with people who despised him. For wishing that things had been different. Gripping Remus's robes, they stood there on the silent second floor and he sobbed.

Harry didn't know how long they had been standing there when he could finally calm himself down. Pulling his head away from the werewolf well-worn robes, he averted his eyes. He couldn't even pull himself together enough to look into the eyes of a family member who understood where he was coming from.

"I—I'm ready to go…" he whispered, seeing Remus nod.

Turning away from him, Harry gripped the staircase railing and slowly, with heavy feet and heart, walked down the flight of stairs. When he reached the bottom, he turned his head to find Sirius and Alyssa sitting in the parlor. They were sitting close together and Sirius had his arm wrapped around Alyssa, who was still sobbing.

He must have heard them because his Godfather looked up and gave Harry a pained smile. This wasn't easy for the former prisoner. It wasn't easy for any of them. Especially those that remembered. "We're ready to go…" Harry mumbled, knowing his eyes were red behind his glasses.

Sirius nodded and helped Alyssa come to her feet. When Harry had wanted to go upstairs, Sirius knew it wouldn't be pleasant. He couldn't refuse or demand that his Godson stay with them. Nodding at him, he watched as Harry and Remus slowly trek up the flight of stairs and disappear. Taking a shaking Alyssa, he steered her into the parlor and directed her toward the red sofa.

They sat there in silence while she sobbed. Sirius closed his eyes and wrapped an arm around her and held her. His mind raced back to that night when he showed up seeing the cottage on fire and a little girl running out of the house toward him. Her black hair in a braided tangled mess holding the same stuffed hippogriff she was holding now.

He remembered chasing her back into the cottage and found her shaking her deceased father begging him to wake up. He pulled her away but hadn't the heart to leave her alone and grab Harry. Something he knew he should have done before Dumbledore arrived and separated the two children.

The only difference that night and now was there were sunlight and no bodies. With his canine sense of his animagus form, he heard his Godson sob on the second floor outside his old nursery. Guilt and sorrow clung to his heart like a vice and squeezed until he couldn't breathe. When they finally came back down, Sirius was more than happy to leave the cottage.

Harry stood back as Remus opened the front door and stepped aside to let everyone out before him. Stepping into the sunlight, Harry sighed internally as the bright orb bathed him in its warmth. He debated on whether they should stop in the cemetery and see their parents before they left Godric's Hollow completely or wait until emotions weren't so raw.

Turning back to his family, he looked them over. None of them seemed capable enough to visit the cemetery. "Do you want to see them?" he asked Alyssa, who was still clutching the stuffed hippogriff.

He watched as she froze beside their Godfather, but nodded anyway. It was as if this trip had caused her to be mute. Waiting on Remus, who was locking up the cottage, he walked back down the worn path toward the open gate and waited for everyone to catch up. A few minutes later, the quartet wandered aimlessly down the lane until they reached the cemetery.

Stopping in front of the kissing gate, Harry pushed it open as quietly as he could. It swung open with the tiniest of creaks and Harry could have sworn it sighed. Letting Sirius take the lead, they followed him toward the back of the cemetery and past the church. Harry was too overcome with emotion to not fully realize all the Potters that had been buried here. Alyssa walked beside him, clutching his hand tightly, while Remus trailed behind them.

Before too long, Sirius came to a stop in front of the white tombstone that was inscribed with their parent's name.

_James & Lily Potter_

_"The last enemy that shall_   _be destroyed is death._ "

Harry stood there in silence. There weren't any words that needed to be spoken. Gripping his sister's hand, he felt her lay her head on his shoulder and her shoulders began to shake. Overcome with the swirling emotions around him, Harry felt tears prickle at his eyes and using his free hand, slipped it under his glasses and wiped his eyes.

After a few minutes, with no dry eye in the cemetery, Harry decided he wanted to leave. The rest of the day would be just as hard. Maybe one day when his future wasn't so undecided, he would come back here and properly restore Potter Cottage. Tugging on Alyssa's hand, she understood the hint and with one last wave. They turned away from the gravesite and started back toward the gates.

Arriving back in the center of the village, it was just as quiet as it was when they arrived. Pulling out the portkey, Remus held it out for everyone to touch. In seconds, Harry felt the sharp tug and whirlwind of the portkey activating.

Landing in the arriving room of Potter Manor, Harry stood and dusted himself off. After a trying and emotional day, he really wished for solitude. Scurrying out of the arriving room he quickly made his way up the stairs, bypassing a concerned Henry, and escaped inside his room. Closing the door quietly, he noticed his journal glowing blue showing that he had a message.

Opening it, he saw it was from Hermione. He bypassed what she wrote and found a pen and wrote back to her:

_Hermione_

_Went to Godric's Hollow today. Saw my parents. I will talk to you later._

_Harry_

Closing the journal, he knew there would be further questions from his ever-learning nosy bookworm of a girlfriend, but tonight he wanted to spend it alone. Chucking his trainers, he stripped down to his boxers and climbed into bed. Setting his glasses on the nightstand, he closed his eyes and never noticed the journal glowed blue again.

The next time Harry opened his eyes it was early morning daylight. Frowning, he sat up in bed and looked around the room. Shaking the cobwebs from his head, Harry realized that he must have slept the afternoon and night away. He closed his eyes, sighed, and flopped back onto the bed. Yesterday had been horrible.

Harry knew it would be an emotional day seeing his parents' graves and finally seeing Potter Cottage. What he didn't realize was how draining it truly was. The surrounding emotions suffocated him, but he tried to ignore it and continue on the harrowing journey. While he had escaped fairly quickly to his room yesterday, he relished in knowing that he was home safe.

Realizing, after ten minutes of laying here, Harry knew he wasn't going back to sleep. Sighing, he reached for his glasses and threw the covers off. Walking over to the open window, Harry gazed outside and watched the sunrise for another day. Today was his last day in Britain. Tomorrow, he would well on his way to America.

Dressing quickly Harry shoved his feet into his trainers and pocketed his wand. Leaving the room, he stomped down the flight of stairs and hurried toward the dining room. Having skipped lunch and dinner yesterday, he was ravenous. Sliding into his chair a minute later, Harry filled his plate with a traditional English breakfast and for one meager second in his short life, he finally realized what it was like to be Ron.

Harry shook his head and dug in. Halfway through his breakfast, Harry finally slowed down enough to realize that there were people sitting at the table. Slowly he looked up, seeing Sirius and Remus staring at him. Sirius was hiding a smile behind his cup of tea while Remus openly gaped at him.

"What?" Harry asked, setting his fork down carefully.

"Hungry?"

Harry pinked, "Yeah,…. I skipped lunch and dinner yesterday."

Both men nodded at him. Getting a good look at them, Harry could tell they were worse off than usual. Yesterday's trip had taken a toll on everyone. Neither man looked as if they had slept at all last night. Harry noticed the chair across from him was empty. Alyssa couldn't still be asleep, could she?

"Where's Alyssa?" Harry asked, sensing deja vu. Didn't he just ask this a few days ago?

"Henry portkeyed in half an hour after you stomped up to your room. They haven't come out since. Neither of us can hear anything so we're assuming they have Silencing Charms up." Remus explained, reaching for a crumpet and butter. Harry watched as his uncle smeared softened butter over the hot crumpet and took a bite.

"I wanted to duel today, but if she's busy…"

"We can still do that," Sirius voiced, picking up a copy of the Prophet and flipping through the pages.

"Are you two sure?" Harry asked with uncertainty.

"Are you telling me I'm old?" gasped his Godfather, clasping a hand over his heart.

"Be serious!"

"But I am Sirius!" he exclaimed, earning him two glares.

"Yes, Harry, we are sure," Remus affirmed, giving his long-time friend a death glare which Sirius promptly ignored.

Harry nodded at the two older men and realized that each was lethal in their own right. Picking up his fork again Harry felt confident that dueling with them would be favorable. This time he ate much slower since he now knew that there were people sitting at the table. Yesterday had been bad, but today was a new day and things would be better.

Finishing his breakfast, he leaned back into his chair and wiped his mouth before tossing the napkin on his plate, "I need to write Hermione back, I will see you two outside?" Harry confirmed as he pushed his chair back and stood up.

"We will be there. Take your time." Remus mumbled giving him a short nod. Waving to the both of them, Harry hurried back up to his room where his journal was glowing blue. Grabbing it as he plopped down on the bed, he flipped it open.

_Harry_

_I am sorry about yesterday. I wish I could have been there for you or even been there last night when you returned. I realize that today is your last day in Britain and tomorrow you will head off to Camp. I want you to know that whatever happens; I am proud of you! I will miss you terribly, but Mr. Potter, you best be teaching me the spells you learn come September!_

_You know I can't pass up an opportunity to learn._

_My parents have taken us on a trip to Paris this year. We haven't been since before I started Hogwarts and though I am dreading the distance between us; I am excited to go. I will bring my journal. Please write? Even if it's once a week?_

_Love_

_Hermione_

_Hermione_

_I wish I could say that things were OK yesterday, but they weren't. I think out of all of us, Remus was the one that was holding up the best. Though he looked horrible this morning. Alyssa and Henry (who arrived yesterday) haven't come out of her room. She was the most distraught having remembering and barely survived that night._

_Thank you, Hermione, that means everything to me and yes, I will teach you what I will learn at Camp. I am eager to learn. It's daunting though. I will be away doing this alone. Normally, I have you and Ron with me for these kinds of adventures._

_That's great! Paris sounds like fun. Maybe next summer, if I am not at Camp, we should plan a trip together. All of us, including Ron. If the Ministry exonerates Sirius, it would be even more fun because then we will have a half adult with us!_

_I will write to you. I will have to vent and moan and cry about how much I hurt and maybe be excited about what I have learned._

_Love_

_Harry_

Closing his journal, Harry climbed off the bed and set the journal on top of his trunk. There was nothing in the paperwork stating what sort of luggage he could bring. There would be teens from all over the world coming to this camp.

Exiting the room, Harry bypassed Alyssa's and thought about stopping to check on her when he decided against it. Shaking his head, he headed down and out toward the kitchens to enter the open patio area where Sirius and Remus were waiting on him.

"Now I know you're going to Camp tomorrow, but we can help you work on your Fourth and possibly Fifth-year spells. I don't know what they will teach you there, so neither of us can help." Remus spoke up, rising to his feet from one of the lawn chairs.

"I was... was an Auror training to be a Hit Wizard before your parents died. Then the whole Azkaban thing happened. The Brits and the Yanks run their Auror schools differently." Sirius added. "If you are ready….?"

Hours later, Harry was lying on his back in the hot grass panting and covered in sweat. When they said they could help him, he didn't think they would work him like this! Squinting against the hot summer sky, Harry hovered his hand over his eyes to block out the sun. Every inch of him hurt.

Rolling his head to the side, he saw Sirius and Remus sitting on conjured chairs and talking quietly. Neither of them seemed to be in any discomfort. Leaning up on his elbows, Harry slowly rose to his feet and limped over to his family. Remus, he noted, took pity on him and conjured a chair for him while Dobby popped in and handed him a water bottle.

"I would ask you how I did…" Harry started to say as he twisted the bottle cap off.

"You did well considering that you have no training at all," Sirius replied, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees.

"Alyssa showed me a few things last year."

"And it shows, it really does Harry." Remus praised.

"What's going on?" they heard a quiet female voice ask.

All heads turned to see an exhausted looking Alyssa step out of the kitchen and onto the patio. She was carrying a mug and leaning heavily against an equally tired looking Henry. Harry watched as Henry sat down in a chair and pulled Alyssa onto his lap.

"Dueling…." Harry mumbled tiredly, closing the cap on his water bottle.

"We didn't want to disturb you, 'Lyssa," their Godfather said lowering his eyes at her.

"You could have knocked at least," she said huffily at the men who looked thoroughly embarrassed. "I'm not some weakling. Yes, I had a bad day yesterday, but I am not fragile."

Harry noted that Henry resisted the urge to chuckle at her words. They sat there in silence for a few minutes until everyone heard Harry's stomach grumble. Blushing, he looked down at his stomach and tried to shush it much to his embarrassment at everyone's amusement. Before they could tease him more, Dobby showed up and saved his wonderful "Master Harry Potter" and left a large platter of sandwiches, crisps, and snacks for everyone.

Later on, once they were finished, Harry stood up and bid everyone a good afternoon. Telling everyone he would head upstairs to shower and work on more summer homework because tomorrow morning, they were leaving for Paris and Harry wouldn't see Potter Manor till August.


	5. America, what?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter is finally upon me :)

(YES, another one. This one has been ready for at least two months. Sorry for the long wait!) 

 

** Harry POV **

 

“Wake up!” a female voice shouted from across the room. The dark-haired wizard sat up in bed and looked blindly around the room. Reaching for his glasses, he slipped them on seeing his jovial sister standing at the door. 

 

“Go away, Alyssa,” Harry sighed and flopped back onto the bed. He was determined to catch a few more hours of sleep. 

 

“It’s nearly 7 am, Harry,” his sister huffed from the doorway. “You need to get moving. The portkey to Paris leaves in one hour.” 

 

One hour? One hour was all he had left before leaving. Suddenly, Harry didn’t feel like going. The fear that coursed through him was ridiculous, but he couldn’t stop it. He knew he would be far away. The thought didn’t settle well with his churning stomach. 

 

His bedroom door quietly closed and Harry wished to roll over and hide, but he threw the blankets off and sat up in bed. Stretching his arms over his head, he yawned and looked out the window. The sunlight was streaming into the bedroom with a light breeze ruffling the crimson curtains. 

 

The bespectacled boy threw his legs over the bed and stood up. He ruffled through his drawers and yanked out the clothes he would wear to the camp. 

 

Half an hour later, Harry dressed and shoved his shrunken rucksack in his pants pocket. Harry thought for a split second if he should wear his uniform on the arrival day but figured that no one would wear theirs. 

 

Taking a seat, he pulled the rucksack from his pants pocket and expanded it. Rummaging through it, he found the journal. Letting the bag drop on the floor, Harry opened the journal and grabbed a quill. Dipping it in ink, he hovered over the paper before he began writing. 

 

Hermione

 

Today is the day! We are leaving in thirty minutes to go to the Ministry where we will jump. Then jump again. I don’t know how long it will take, but once I am settled; I swear that I will write to you. I miss you terribly and can’t wait to see you in August. 

 

Love 

Harry. 

 

Turning the page, he wrote one to Ron. He would feel like the biggest prat if he didn’t at least try to communicate with his best friend. 

 

Ron,

 

Today I am leaving for camp. Wish me luck! I know it will be a long journey, but I am excited. I promise to teach you whatever I learn? 

 

Have a fun summer. Can’t wait to see you in August! 

 

Harry. 

 

Satisfied with his letters, Harry closed the journal and placed it gently back into the dropped rucksack. Shrinking it once more, he shoved it into his pants pocket. He opened the door and with a hesitant look back, Harry closed it behind him and headed down the stairs to the dining room where he smelled breakfast.

 

Entering the room, the air was somber but with an air of excitement. Harry sat down in his usual chair and averted his eyes to his family. He stretched his arm across the table to snag the plate of sausages. Filling his plate with the delicious breakfast food, it didn’t take long before Harry demolished the plate and sat back. 

 

He looked over at his family, who smiled at him and reached for his glass of pumpkin juice. Finishing it, he stood up and tucked his chair back under the table. The house-elves would take care of the mess. Harry wondered if there were house-elves in America. He left the room, following his family and headed toward the portkey room. 

 

“You ready to go?” Alyssa’s voice broke his musing. Harry nodded slowly and turned to face his uncle and godfather. Both of them embraced the young boy tightly before releasing him back to his sister. He watched as Alyssa reached for the portkey that would take them to the Ministry of Magic, and with a subtle jerk, they left.

***

Sirius stood there barely holding it together. Today was the day his godson would leave for a month. The former prisoner knew he couldn’t travel with him no matter how interesting it would be to learn how the American Aurors worked. In a short time, he had grown attached to his godson. Sirius sighed and looked at a forlorn Remus. 

 

As Remus turned to look at his lifelong best friend, he shrugged and sighed. “They’ll be back Padfoot.” 

 

“I know Moony, but it’s hard to let them go,” Sirius said, looking at the space where his godchildren had been. Then a thought crossed his mind, and he smiled for the first time today. 

 

“You know Moony old chap that when Harry comes home, he will kick both our arses.” 

 

“Oh, the day that happens....” Remus grinned at him and turned to leave the portkey room. Sirius followed behind him and they headed toward the library where the former prisoner knew that his wolfy friend would get lost in the stacks of books. 

 

He had half a mind to bring the entire Black Family library to Potter Manor. It would tickle his fancy to rip it out, but that would mean he would have to go to Grimmauld Place. Sirius looked around for Moony but realized his friend had disappeared. 

 

Shrugging his shoulders, he turned around and left the room. He had to make sure Harry had his Quidditch Pitch before he returned home. Now that would make a great present. 

 

****

Harry stumbled as they landed at the Ministry of Magic. Whoever invented the portkey had to be out of his mind! It wasn’t the spinning or never-ending nausea that was the problem. It was the landing. Every time he had used a portkey, he always stumbled on the landing. 

 

Landing on his ass, Harry scowled, seeing Alyssa land softly on the floor. He watched as she chuckled at him, but offered her hand to help him up. Taking it, he stood to his feet and looked around at the busy Atrium. 

 

Wizards and witches were moving quickly from one area to the next. Looking around, he saw lifts that would take them to any floor of the Ministry. In the center of the room was a water fountain of the many species that lived among the magicals. 

 

“Where do we need to go?” he asked, tearing his eyes away from the fountain. 

 

“To the Department of Magical Transportation,” she said, opening up a piece of parchment. “It’s on level 6. We have to go to the Portkey Office.” 

 

Harry nodded and followed his sister to the lifts that would take them to their floor. Stepping onto the lift, he noticed a house-elf/gnome-like creature standing in the far corner. It was sneering at the magicals who stepped onto his lift. 

 

Harry’s cheeks pinked when the creature caught him staring. He turned around quickly, hoping no one saw him. *Keeping his eyes forward, he shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans. Five minutes later, after several Ministry employees disembarked off the lift, it came to a stop on level 6. 

 

Harry looked at Alyssa, who gave him a tight smile and followed her out into the narrow hallway. Life was teeming to the brim here. The Ministry employees were scattered down the hall, some were even muttering nonsense as they passed the two teens. 

 

Harry watched as Alyssa tried to flag someone down to ask where the Portkey Office was but to no avail. Everyone was far too busy to help them. Shrugging his shoulders at her, they turned left and stopped to read each sign above the doors until they found it. 

 

Pushing the door open, Harry saw a harried witch sitting behind a desk covered in rolls of parchment. Harry briefly wondered what was going on. 

 

“Excuse me,” he looked at Alyssa, who spoke up. 

 

“Yes?” the witch snapped at them. “What do you need?” 

 

Harry and Alyssa exchanged annoyed looks before turning back to the witch behind the desk. 

 

“We’re here to pick up a Portkey to Paris,” Alyssa informed her. 

 

“Name!” the harried witch said, finally looking up at them. When she realized Harry Potter was standing in front of her, she blushed heavily and began to stammer. “I—I’m sorry for my behavior, it’s been hectic lately.” she tried to play it off with a smile. 

 

“Now, can I get your name?” she asked in a much nicer tone. 

 

“Alyssa and Harry Potter,” Harry spoke up before Alyssa opened her mouth. 

 

“Potter... Potter...” the witch said, flipping through an opened a pile of parchment. Grinning victoriously as she found what she was looking for, she scanned the parchment before nodding. “Well, everything is in order. They clear you two for a Portkey to Paris leaving in ten minutes.” 

 

Harry nodded and looked around the room while Alyssa and the much nicer witch spoke about the upcoming travel. The room was small, yet tidy except for the desk. He wondered if it was cluttered that often. Something must go on for this department to seem like a madhouse. 

 

A gentle tug on his arm got his attention, and he turned to look at Alyssa. In her hand was a blue cracked coffee mug. Harry assumed it was the portkey to the Paris branch of the Ministry of Magic. There, he knew, they would take an international Portkey to New York. 

 

“You ready?” 

 

“Yea,” he said, placing a finger on the mug just as he heard the timer chime. With a jerk to his naval, Harry closed his eyes and bent his knees. He knew it would come in handy when they landed. 

 

****Meanwhile at Hogwarts*****

 

Sitting in an ornate chair in an equally ornate office sat Albus Dumbledore, Chief Warlock, Supreme Mugwump and the current Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry. The term had ended only a few weeks ago and today as he sat in his office, he could not fathom how this past year had turned to the worst. 

 

Alyssa Potter arrived and the convict Sirius Black. Both were equally distressing for the aging wizard. In 1991, when Voldemort killed off the Potter line sans Alyssa and Harry, Albus stepped in and separated the two children. He sent Alyssa to America to live with her mother and Harry to his Muggle aunt. Neither of them was to ever know about each other. His mistake was forgetting to place a Memory Charm on the girl. 

 

Eliminating Sirius Black was easy enough. He was the children’s Godfather and Albus knew he would seek vengeance against the deaths of James and Lily Potter. It was simple enough for Barty Crouch to place Lord Black in Azkaban without a trial. The following days and nights after the fall of Voldemort were chaotic. 

 

He would have a compliant and easy child to maneuver in Harry when he returned to Hogwarts at age eleven. Over the past couple of years with the help of Severus, they set plans to trap Voldemort and ensuring that Harry was in the thick of it. It was very clear to Albus that Harry faces Voldemort and eliminate him... even if that meant Harry sacrificing himself for the Greater Good that was needed. 

 

Hadn’t Albus sacrificed enough when he defeated Gellert? Albus had lost his entire family during the war. His sister was murdered and his brother left him. He sacrificed and Harry Potter should know what it meant. 

 

When young Harry vehemently told him he wasn’t going back to his relatives, Albus nearly had an aneurysm. He needed to go back! Unfortunately, he lost all control of the young wizard in question when Alyssa Potter stepped through the gates of Hogwarts and demanded she takes her place as the seventh year. 

 

The little chit had even threatened to take Harry out of Hogwarts and send him across the pond to America! He couldn’t have that so he agreed to her demands. What he didn’t realize was how far she would go to protect her brother. 

 

Now, sitting alone in his office, Albus stroked his long, thin beard and contemplated how he should bring Harry back onto his side. Just then, a quiet chiming noise pinged throughout the room. Abandoning his chair, Albus raced across the room as much as his old legs permitted him, he found one of his tracking devices puffing smoke and chiming. It was the one for Harry Potter. 

 

Inside it was a blood vial he had gained when the boy was a mere toddler. This device would tell him if Harry had left the country, and it seemed he had. But where had he gone? 

 

A squawk later had him turning around to see a non-descript owl holding a letter in its beak. Genially smiling at the bird, he watched as the owl dropped the note on the desk and flew out the window much to Fawkes displeasure. 

 

Unrolling the sealed parchment, Albus smiled darkly as he read the contents. 

 

_Albus Dumbledore_

 

_Regarding a mutual decision, I must inform you that Harry Potter has left Britain to travel to Paris, France. I cannot give out further information without risking exposure. You might wish to inquire at the Ministère des Affaires Magiques de la France for more information._

 

It was unsigned but Albus knew it was all right. His informant was trustworthy. Now he had to find out why young Harry Potter and that sister of his was doing in France. There was much to think about.

 

********************

 

They spun in the air for what seemed like hours but might have only been minutes. Cracking an eye open, Harry realized they were almost there. Before he could bend his knees for a smoother landing, the Portkey stopped. Landing roughly on the hardwood floor, Harry cursed mentally and came to his feet. 

 

Looking around the room, he noticed it was like the one in Britain. Instead of a dingy, dark room, this one had a magical window that showed the Eiffel Tower. A man, in a dark blue robe, was sitting behind a desk that was cluttered with parchment. 

 

_“Puis-Je vous aider avec quelque chose?_ (May I help you with something?)” he asked in French. 

 

Harry turned to look desperately at Alyssa, who frowned. France might be across the Channel, but Harry didn’t speak a word of the language. 

 

“My name is Alyssa Potter. We are here to pick up an International Portkey to New York,” his sister said, taking the reins on this. 

 

The man’s face lit up when she said the name ‘Potter’. Instantly, he turned to look at Harry, who tried to avoid his gaze. Shuffling his feet, Harry turned his attention to the magical window and gazed out at the Eiffel Tower. 

 

“Ah! Oui!” the man said, switching to English as he shuffled around some parchment. “They schedule you to leave in half an hour.” 

 

“Fantastic,” Alyssa drawled not pleased they would have to wait before they could travel. Time was of the essence and Harry knew the quicker they jumped, the less time Dumbledore had of finding them. 

 

“Maybe we can wander around until then?” Harry suggested casually. 

 

“Non!” the employee shouted quickly at them. “You cannot be wandering around the French Ministry of Magic! You may have a seat over there,” he said, waving his hand toward a small couch in the room. 

 

Sighing, Harry shrugged his shoulders at Alyssa, who was eyeing the man with displeasure. Taking a seat, Harry leaned back into the stiff cushion and looked around the room. He knew he could pull out one book about American Aurors but he didn’t want to raise suspicion about why he had the book. 

 

It wasn’t a typical book you would buy at Flourish and Blotts. They weren’t too keen on selling books about other countries and cultures. He knew Alyssa had ordered this one from America. Leaning forward, he placed his elbows on his knees and stared off into the distance. 

 

His mind traveled over the past year of all the things he had discovered. From finding his sister to learning that Sirius was innocent and to finally kissing Hermione. Kissing Hermione was heaven and hell all at the same time. He wanted to kiss her until her toes curled but very knew of the invisible boundaries that were there. 

 

For Merlin’s sake... they were barely fourteen! 

 

Thinking about her brought a blush to his cheeks. He could feel the heat radiating through his fingers and he wished she was with him. Hermione would do very well at an Auror Camp. He promised to teach her everything he learned over the summer. 

 

Casting his eyes around the room, he ignored the coming and goings of the office. People were rushing in and out of the room, handing Pierre stacks of parchments. It was very similar to what he saw in England. 

 

“Excuse me,” Harry spoke up, curiosity getting the best of him. “What is going on?” 

 

The Frenchman stopped what he was doing for a moment and sat the parchment down on the desk. Harry watched as the man turned his glaring eyes toward him. “It’s for the Quidditch World Cup! Bulgaria and Ireland are playing.” 

 

“Oh,” Harry mumbled. “When is it?” 

 

“Right before school starts,” Alyssa quipped, turning a page in a book. 

 

Harry perked up, realizing they could go. “Are we going? Can we go?” he asked, excitement creeping into his voice. 

 

Alyssa sighed and smiled at him. “Oh, I don’t know Harry. We might.” 

 

Harry couldn’t decide if she was lying to him. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on feeling her emotions. He knew that he would find something. 

 

_Excitement_

_Joy_

_Secretive_

 

His eyes flew open as he felt her emotions swirl around her. Narrowing his eyes at her, he opened his mouth to accuse her of keeping things from him. However, if he was feeling this from her, then he figured it meant something to her. Maybe this was a surprise that she didn’t want anyone to find out. 

 

“All right, keep your secrets,” Harry said, turning back to waiting. He wasn’t mad at her, but he wanted to know. 

 

Nearly twenty minutes later, Harry was pulled out of his thoughts when Alyssa snapped her book closed. Turning his head to look at her, she smiled and tapped her watch. It was time to go. This would be the longest trip he had ever taken. 

 

Coming to his feet, Harry patted down his pockets again, feeling for his rucksack. When he found it in his left pocket, Harry watched as Pierre removed himself from the desk and walked out of the room. 

 

A few minutes later, he returned with a long piece of rope in his hands. Walking toward the two teens, Harry didn’t like how the Frenchman eyed him with interest. “This is your Portkey. It will take you to the American Ministry of Magic. The trip will last three to four hours.” 

 

“Hours?” Harry exclaimed, looking alarmed. 

 

“Why, yes Mr. Potter,” Pierre said with hidden exasperation. “This isn’t some quick trip across Europe. You’re going across the Atlantic.” 

 

Harry finally realized that the Frenchman was right, nodding his head in agreement. Alyssa nodded her head in understanding. Taking hold of one end of the rope, Harry stood in front of his sister and gave her a brief smile before he felt the sudden jerking of his naval. Closing his eyes, Harry prepared himself for the long journey ahead. 

 

***

Three hours later or so he thought, Harry briefly opened his eyes to the spinning of the portkey and could see a city up ahead. They were close. Preparing himself to land properly, he steeled himself for impact. It never mattered if he was ready or not. Harry always seemed to land on his face. 

 

Landing a moment later found Harry sprawled on the cold marble flooring of the Portkey Entrance room. Groaning, he didn’t miss the small chuckle from his sister, who was standing on her feet. Pushing himself off the ground, Harry stood up and brushed any dirt or lint that had gathered on his clothes while they were traveling. 

 

He turned to look at Alyssa, whose eyes were lit up and turned his head toward the entrance. Outside this room was a whole new world that needed to be explored. Nodding his head, as if he was telling himself he was ready, Harry followed his sister out of the room and into a large lobby was in black and gold accents. 

 

Harry thought the British Ministry of Magic was large, but it paled compared to the American one. His head swiveled around trying to catch everything and catalog it for later use. In the center of the main room was a monument with four columns featuring gold-gilded Phoenix statues. Harry quickly walked over to it, pushing his way through the crowd of people. 

 

He stared at it for a minute, seeing a group of statues commemorating someone. Underneath the monument is four words he didn’t understand. 

 

“The statues are those who died in the Salem Witch Trials,” his sister spoke upcoming to stand beside him. 

 

“What do the words mean?” 

 

Harry saw her smile from the corner of his eye, “It reads “Intergritas, Unitas, Virtus, & Magia”. It means “Integrity, Unity, Valor, and Magic. The MACUSA motto.” 

 

“MACUSA?” Harry asked again. This information was giving him a headache.

 

“Magical Congress of the United States,” Alyssa replied. 

 

“Oh. It’s very different here, isn’t it?” 

 

She nodded. “It performs many of the same functions as other wizarding governments, but the laws here are far stricter than they are back home.” She paused looking for the lifts. “We need to stop and have your wand registered before we leave.” 

 

“Registered?! Why would we do that?” 

 

“The office is charged with issuing, verifying and maintaining the registry. This means that you need a permit to carry a wand.” Alyssa shrugged, knowing that her permit was still valid for at least another year. 

 

“Well, let’s go. We need to be at the camp before nightfall.” Harry barely heard her say as she began to walk off toward the lifts that would take them to this Wand Permit thing. As the Boy-who-Lived walked through the lobby of the Magical Congress of the US, he was in awe at how different it was to the British Ministry. 

 

Constantly was he bumping into people who weren’t hesitant to say, ‘Excuse me! Coming through. Pardon me’. Harry had a feeling these American folk was far politer than their British counterparts. 

 

Not only were the clothes different, but how witches and wizards carried themselves. Stepping into the lift, employees pushed Harry about. The lift was small and smelled strongly of ink and leather. Harry tried not to listen to the conversations he was hearing, but the American accents made it difficult not to listen. He heard things about something called “No-Maj” and the work it took to keep the Statute of Secrecy. Harry turned to catch his sister’s eye, who shrugged at him before turning back to people watch. 

 

In the lift's corner was a small creature that reminded him of the house-elf/goblin mix. Even having Hagrid as a Creatures Professor didn’t help him as he tried not to stare at the creature who was sneering at the magicals. The lift dinged, coming to a stop. Harry felt a hand grab his elbow and pushed him through the crown of magicals with a half-hearted ‘Excuse me’ coming from Alyssa. 

 

Once outside the lift, Harry turned back to watch the lift leave them on the floor and he couldn’t help but feel relief he was off it. They were standing in a narrow hallway that was barely illuminated. The ones that worked down here were probably people like Arthur Weasley... out of sight out of mind. 

 

There wasn’t a sound made other than their breaths as both teens looked around. “Have you ever been here?” Harry asked as he leaned toward his sister. 

 

“Nope. Our wand permit notes are filled out when we receive our wands for school,” she whispered. 

 

Before Harry could ask another question, a door appeared before them. Harry blinked and removed his glasses, cleaning them before placing them back on his face. Nope, the door was still there. Above it was a small aged white sign that read “Wand Permit Office.” Alyssa took the lead as she walked up to the door and knocked loudly. 

 

“COME IN!” a voice barked on the other side of the door. 

 

Harry shrugged at his sister, who looked just as annoyed as he was. It must be like this in all departments, he supposed. Harry gripped the brass doorknob and twisted it open. Pushing the door open, they ducked as a paper airplane whizzed over their heads. 

 

Inside the room was deathly quiet with rows and stacks of wooden file cabinets with small handles and tiny signs above them. It reminded Harry of a library cataloging system. Behind a plain wooden desk was a pitiful scrawny man who looked as if he wished he were somewhere else. 

 

He was wearing well-worn robes that had seen better days. There was a small stack of files beside him. Harry wasn’t sure if it was parchment or some other paper. The man sighed seeing both of them. 

 

“What can I help you with?” he asked the two teens. 

 

“My brother needs to register his wand for his stay,” Alyssa spoke to the man, who shook his head and began ruffling through forms.

 

“How long will he be here?” the man asked. 

 

Harry stood back and let the ‘adults’ handle this. His eyes scouring the small room, trying to get a clear picture of how things worked in America. He wasn’t surprised that the British Ministry of Magic considered wand permits. If they did, he doubts Voldemort or his followers would have gotten their hands on wands. 

 

“He will be here from June 20th to August 10th,” Alyssa said, looking down at a piece of parchment that she pulled from her own rucksack. 

 

The man turned and looked sourly at Harry and thrust a form at him. “Please fill this out.” 

 

Harry took it gingerly from the man’s outreached hand and grabbed a Muggle pen from a cup holder. Taking a seat on a nearby chair, Harry curiously looked over the form. 

 

“.... you have a permit, young lady?” 

 

“Ah yes, I do. They raised me in America.” he heard Alyssa explain to the sour man. 

 

On the sheet of paper, it astounded Harry that they detailed it. He shrugged his shoulder and shook his head. Writing his legal name, details about his wand such as what type it was, the core and whether it had runes or numbers etched into it. That last one confused him. 

 

He raised an eyebrow when it asked him the “Date of Expiry”. Did that mean his death? How would anyone know that?! It was amazing how much they needed to know about it. Maybe it was a good way to identify him if his wand was lost or stolen? 

 

Finally signing it, Harry stood up and handed the paper back to the man behind the desk. “May I see your wand for identification?” he asked, holding his hand out. 

 

Harry reached for his wand in the holster and handed it to the man who barely glanced over it before handing it back. He watched as the Ministry employee signed off on the Permit and handed it back to Harry. 

 

“This is your copy. You must keep this for safe-keeping,” the man instructed. “Have a good day.” 

 

Blinking at the forwardness and quick work of the Magical Congress, Harry and Alyssa walked out of the room and * out into the dark hallway. Harry turned around to see the door disappear before his eyes. Shrugging his shoulders, he turned to watch the dial above the elevator move until it reached their floor.

 

Clutching his wand permit in his hand, Harry had no clue what to do with it. The elevator doors opened with a small hissing sound. Harry peered into the lift and saw it was empty. He guessed no one ever came down to this floor. Following Alyssa in, he stood away from the same house-elf/goblin creature and kept his eyes toward the closing doors. 

 

Looking up toward the ceiling of the lift, Harry watched in fascination as the ceiling depicted a night sky, much like the one at Hogwarts Great Hall. Without realizing it, he was looking for all the constellations he had learned in his previous three years at Hogwarts. 

 

The lift chimed, showing it was stopping. The doors slowly opened with the same hissing sound and the two teens stepped off and entered the lobby. A clock gonged loudly through the massive lobby overshadowing the hum of conversation. 

 

Harry whipped his head to see the clock that was welded to a black iron stand. It showed that it was after almost three in the afternoon. His stomach grumbled in hunger. Didn’t he just eat? 

 

Following his sister out of the lobby, Harry couldn’t keep his head from moving around to catch everything. Man, would he have a story to tell Hermione! On the far wall, a massive hanging tapestry depicting a well-groomed man with a politician’s smile. He looked like a man that someone could trust. 

 

“Who’s that?” Harry asked, stopping his sister. 

 

She turned around to follow Harry’s line of question. Seeing the large hanging tapestry, she realized he was asking about this bloke. “That’s the President of MACUSA, Elijah Hall.” 

 

“I suppose he’s a good President?” Harry asked with trepidation. 

 

“I suppose he is. I left before they elected him.” Alyssa shrugged. “I’m hungry, you hungry?” she asked, looking at him. 

 

“Yea, I guess. Didn’t we just eat?” Harry asked in confusion. 

 

Alyssa chuckled but nodded. “We did. Though the time change will mess with you. It’s probably nighttime at home. Just jumping to Paris set us ahead one hour.” 

 

Harry nodded and turned back toward what he assumed was the entrance doors. It was still busy for it being in the later afternoon hours. Above the entrance of the doors was an enormous monument of several people. They crafted it with utmost detail and Harry stopped short seeing the man in the front. They dressed the man in old-fashioned American clothing and in his hand was a wand. 

 

It was his face that stopped Harry. It looked vaguely familiar. The man looked almost like his dad. Something stirred inside Harry and he knew that he knew this man. “Alyssa!” Harry called out, slowing her stride once again. He barely noted that she was almost to the exit when she turned around. 

 

“What’s wrong?” Alyssa asked him as she came closer, placing a hand on his arm. He knew his eyes were wild and frantic. There was something about the man that Harry needed to know. 

 

“Who’s that man?” Harry pointed at the man he hadn’t pulled his gaze from. Alyssa whipped her head up toward the massive monument and scanned each face until she found the one her brother was talking about. 

 

“I’m not....,” she started but looked closer. “He looks like our dad.” 

 

With that, Harry escaped her grasp and pushed his way through the throng of people were in his way. Finally, after a minute, he skidded in front of the wall closest to the exit. There, in front of him, was a plaque with a list of names. 

 

_“The Original Twelve Aurors of America”_

Wilhelm Fischer, 

Theodard Fontaine 

Gondulphus Graves 

Robert Grimsditch, 

Mary Jauncey, 

Carlos Lopez 

Mungo MacDuff, 

Cormac O’Brien, 

Abraham Potter 

Berthilde Roche 

Helmut Weiss 

Charity Wilkinson.

 

Harry's heart stopped seeing the name  _“Abraham Potter._ ” Running his fingers over the name reverently, he looked up to see the monument again and looked back down at the name. They were related to this man to them! He—he was family. 

 

The Boy-who-Lived felt a familiar presence behind him as he stood in awe of the deceased man before him. A small hand landed on his shoulder and he was grateful for the support. Closing his eyes, he felt a small tear escape his eyes. It ran down his cheeks and forced himself not to cry in the middle of the lobby. 

 

“Abraham Potter,” he listened to his sister whisper. “He looks just like dad...” 

 

“Did you know about him?” Harry asked, his voice thick with emotion. 

 

“I learned about the Original Twelve in school, but I never put two and two together. I saw the name but didn’t know what the man looked like. Our books don’t exactly have pictures,” she explained softly.

 

“I wonder how he got here?” Harry spoke up. “I mean, all the Potters are British, not American.” 

 

“Well, they formed the magical government after the Salem Witch Trials. It’s possible he came over here on a boat to live in the New World.” 

 

“Makes sense, I suppose. I wonder if anyone else knew about him?” 

 

“Doubtful,” Alyssa said distantly. “It was so long ago.” 

 

Harry ran his fingers over the name slowly and with loving care. Another name he could add to the list of Potters he had never met or learned about. Taking a shaky breath, Harry turned around to see his sister. She gave him a watery smile but gently nudged him toward the entrance doors. 

 

Once they were outside, Harry could feel the life of the city hum around him. It felt like he was in London, but bigger. Looking up, he saw the well-known skyscrapers that New York was famous for. The sights and smells around him intrigued and worried him. 

 

London was a mystery to him, only visiting a few times in his short life. He might live in Britain, but London was basically a foreign city to him. Unconsciously, he gripped his sister's hand as she steered him closer to the busy road. 

 

“Where are we going?” he asked over the din. 

 

“Food. We need it before we travel.” 

 

He watched as his sister hailed a taxi with ease. Climbing into the taxi, Harry tried to school his features as he smelled the stench of urine, bodily smells and an overbearing aroma of pine. 

 

“Where too?” the driver asked, turning around to see the two teens. 

 

“Closest pizza place you can find,” Alyssa said, shuffling her bag in her lap. 

 

“Gotcha Lil lady,” the man said turning around to maneuver into the gridlock traffic. “First time in New York?” 

 

“Not for me, but it is for my brother.” 

 

“Ah! Where ya from?” 

 

“London,” the teens said in unison. The driver nodded and paid attention to the surrounding traffic.

 

Harry looked out the window and felt like a tourist on vacation. If only he had a camera to take pictures with. Maybe if he did well this year at camp, he could come back and take pictures for his friends at home. 

 

Twenty minutes later, the driver pulled to the curb and parked the car. Harry watched as Alyssa pulled out the money to pay the driver. Stepping out, with a farewell and a ‘have a nice visit” from the driver, they stood on the sidewalk. 

 

In front of them, Harry smelled pizza. Lovely, wonderful, fattening pizza. His stomach growled loudly in agreement. Looking at the sign, it said, ‘Little Italy Pizza.’ People were streaming out of the small restaurant loaded with pizza boxes. 

 

Grinning at his sister, Harry quickly hurried to the front door and yanked it open. As he did, someone stepped out carrying a pizza box and gave a short nod of his head. Stepping inside, Harry saw several small tables where a few patrons could sit and enjoy their pizza. Many were waiting in line to pick up and order. 

 

Following Alyssa to a nearby empty table for two, they sat down and grabbed the menus. Opening it up, Harry looked over the list of pizzas offered. There were a few he wrinkled his nose at, but mostly, Harry felt himself drooling. 

 

“Ah-ha!” Alyssa whispered triumphantly. 

 

“What?” Harry asked, lowering his menu to look at his sister. 

 

“They have calzones.” 

 

“And those are?” 

 

“It’s like a pizza turnover stuffed with meats, veggies, and cheese,” she explained. 

 

A minute later, a server approached them and asked for drinks. Once ordered, the lady wandered off to fill their drinks. Harry looked over the calzones and realized he wanted one. If the boxes people were carrying showed a large pizza, Harry knew he couldn’t eat it all himself. Now if Ron was with him, sure but not himself alone. 

 

“I’ll have one too,” he said, placing the menu back in its holder. The lady reappeared with their drinks, setting them down on the table. Harry ordered a sausage calzone while Alyssa ordered a chicken one. 

 

Fifteen minutes later, they were eating and less than ten minutes later; they were completely stuffed. Harry sat back in his seat and resisted the urge to rub his stomach in satisfaction. American food proved to be delicious. No wonder Alyssa had a hard time adjusting to British foods. 

 

“What do I do with my permit?” he asked offhandedly. 

 

“Toss it in your rucksack. It’s charmed to never crumple,” Alyssa said, giving a shrug. 

 

Harry looked above his sister’s head and realized they needed to go. “Don’t we have to be there in half an hour?” 

 

He smirked as Alyssa turned and looked at the clock and cursed softly. “Yeah, we do. Damn, I wanted to drive.” she sighed and shook her head, “Means we have to apparate.” 

 

“You can do that?” Harry asked, sitting up in his chair. 

 

“Yes, and so will you when you are old enough. It’s not difficult, but it requires a lot of concentration. I know where we are going, so you can side-along.” 

 

Harry shrugged not realizing half of what she said, but pushed his chair back and stood up. Alyssa paid the meal in cash, leaving a nice tip and quietly exiting the tiny restaurant. It wasn’t as if they were being covert but it helped that no one was paying attention to the two teens when they ducked into an alleyway. 

 

They stood there in the wet and dark alleyway that smelled of urine and trash for several long minutes. Harry wrinkled his nose and briefly wondered why anyone in their right mind would live somewhere like this. 

 

Sure he knew there were homeless people, but if he had to choose between an alleyway or his neglectful relatives, he knew he would stay with the Dursley’s. 

 

Alyssa grabbed his arm gently and took a breath. Harry realized that she didn’t do this often and fear spiked in him. Looking frantically at her, they froze, hearing a tiny voice screaming. 

 

“What the...?” Harry asked looking around the alleyway. 

 

Both teens looked around, seeing no one. Shrugging at each other, Alyssa grabbed his arm again, and the voice screamed again. This time, Alyssa started to panic. 

 

Harry listened intently for a moment as the screaming continued. At least they knew it wasn’t because she had his arm. Suddenly, his ears zeroed in on the noise coming from Alyssa. 

 

“The noise is coming from you,” he said, looking at her warily. 

 

“What?” she began patting down her pockets, then shoved her hand in her front jean pocket and retrieve her shrunken rucksack. The screaming became louder the closer she moved it to her ear. Pulling it back, she examined the shrunken rucksack. 

 

Palming her wand, she shot Harry a look, and he realized he was on the lookout for Muggles. Enlarging her rucksack, the tiny black blob became full-sized. Shoving her hand in the bag, she felt a vibration. Grasping the object, she removed it from the back and slung the rucksack over her shoulder. 

 

In her hands was a silver hand mirror with delicate ivy carvings. Flipping it over, she saw Sirius staring at her. 

 

“Hey, pronglet! Did you make it?” his image asked. 

 

Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes at his Godfather. Who in their right mind would give Sirius Black something like this? Harry stepped over to stand beside his sister to peer at the hand mirror. 

 

“Hey, Pup!” Sirius exclaimed joyfully. 

 

“What is this Sirius?” Harry asked.

 

“This is a communication mirror, my two kids. It lets us communicate over distances,” the marauder said proudly. 

 

“Similar to the journals I had made,” Alyssa mused, frowning at her godfather. “Wait! I want some of these mirrors! Why didn’t you say anything?” 

 

Sirius grinned at her but said nothing. Harry chuckled quietly beside her catching on to what Sirius had done. Alyssa shot both of them a dark look. A light wind whipped down the alleyway, making both of them grimace. 

 

Sirius caught the facial expression. “Where are you two?” 

 

“In an alleyway about to apparate.” 

 

“I thought you would drive upstate?”

 

“Thought so, too,” Alyssa grumbled. “But lunch took too long and now I have to apparate.” 

 

“Remus and I wanted to check on you guys. Maybe see what the American camp looked like?” Sirius said hopefully. 

 

“Let us apparate there and then we will talk again,” Alyssa said. Sirius nodded his head, and the screen went black. Tucking it back in her rucksack, Alyssa shrunk it once again and shoved it in her pocket. “Let’s go,” she said, taking Harry’s arm again. 

 

Harry closed his eyes, not knowing what it would feel like. He knew behind his eyelids that everything went black. He felt like he was being pulled and stretched in all directions. He couldn’t breathe and he felt his eyes try to suck back further into his brain. 

 

All this lasted for a second. 

 

“Harry, you can open your eyes now.” Alyssa’s voice said soothingly. 

 

Trusting her, Harry opened his eyes and the last brightness of the day blinded him. Once his eyes adjusted to the brightness, Harry’s mouth dropped at the sight of the entrance of the camp. To Muggles, it would appear as a Restricted Section of a park. Probably unkept and dangerous. Harry inhaled, taking in the clean air that he could compare to the Forbidden Forest. 

 

“Where is it?” he asked, seeing the broken down metal gate. 

 

“It’s beyond the gate. Think of it as...” 

 

“The Platform to 9 3/4,” Harry finished understanding what she was telling him. “Well, let’s go.” 

 

“We can’t. Not yet. Someone has to escort us through,” she replied calmly to his impatience. 

 

Ten minutes later, as the sun was slowly setting on the Adirondack Mountains, they heard the shuffling of weeds and branches snapping as someone was coming closer to them. Palming his wand, Harry found himself in a fighting stance. He would take out whoever threatened to harm him or Alyssa. 

 

A man, wearing black cargo pants and a white tee-shirt, stepped out of the brush brandishing a wand. He was intimidating. Harry gulped silently and wondered if he would get this big during his training here? 

 

“What’s the passcode?” he snarled, eyeing the both of them. Apparently, he didn’t recognize Alyssa.

 

“Unum robore virium (“Strength, Unity, Valor”)," Alyssa answered proudly. 

 

The man nodded his head and lowered his wand. “Your papers, please?” 

 

Harry watched in shocked silence as Alyssa bought the papers and handed them to the intimidating man. The two teens watched as the man flicked his wrist, his wand disappearing. A few minutes of shuffling papers along with a hard glance at Harry, the man nodded and stepped aside. 

 

“Right. Welcome to the Junior Auror Camp. Step through the gate and follow me,” he said briskly and turned away from the two teens. 

 

Glancing at one another, Harry shrugged and followed Alyssa and the unnamed wizard through the gate. The surprise on the other side startled him. When he turned around, the gate looked pristine and new. The despondent image that was shown to Muggles had changed. 

 

Harry followed Alyssa and the unnamed man down a winding pathway that he supposed led to the camp. Fifteen minutes later, Harry stopped and swallowed a gasp. 

 

They were standing on top of a hill that overlooked an expansive area. This must be the camp. Below them, Harry saw two rows of houses that he could only assume was the living quarters for the campers. He snorted, was ‘campers’ the right word? Further on, he saw several areas of training equipment, a large lake, a mess hall and a nondescript building that puzzled him.

 

The crunching of leaves caught his attention as he noticed that Alyssa and their guide were leaving him. Cursing under his breath, he hurried to catch up to them. Panting as they briskly walked down the hill, Harry realized that it was far steeper than the one going to Hagrid’s hut. 

 

He felt completely out of shape and he hated it. 

 

Five to ten minutes later, they reached the bottom, but still had a way to walk before they reached the entrance. Taking a deep breath, Harry could smell the aroma of food coming from the mess hall and the fresh smell of the woods and lake. 

 

**************

As he followed behind, Harry started to like being here more and more. Not to say that he didn’t miss Hermione like mad nor his family in Britain but something about this place set right with him. 

 

Stopping at the gate, Harry finally noticed several teens waiting around. He figured they were waiting on the unnamed intimidating man in front. The group of three stopped at the gathering of teenagers. Alyssa turned to him and smiled. “This is where I leave you. I will see you in August. Good luck Harry,” she told him, reaching for a tight hug. 

 

For the first time in a very long time, Harry blinked hard trying to ease the tears that stung his eyes behind his round glasses. Squeezing her back in a tight hug, Harry let her go a minute later and watched as she disappeared into the camp. He knew she had more business to attend too before she would return to the Ministry building and portkey her way back to Britain. 

 

Harry turned back to the intimidating man before him and gave a short smile to the bloke standing beside him. “You new here too?” the kid asked. Harry couldn’t place his accent. 

 

“Yea, you?” 

 

“First-year man. I am stoked to be here. I’ve been on the wait-list for years. What about you?” 

 

Harry’s ears pinked. He quickly surveyed the crowd. Unlike everyone else, who had been wait-listed for years, Harry got in under a good reference letter. “The girl that just left.... she’s a graduate here.” 

 

“No fucking way!” the guy said, trying to find Alyssa in the crowd. “So you’re a legacy. That’s cool.” 

 

“A legacy?” Harry asked confused.

 

“Yeah man, it means that you’re following in the family footsteps. You’re technically like a second generation.” the kid explained. “Oh “I’m Joey Tyndall. I’m from Chicago.” 

 

“Harry Potter. I’m from London.” Harry said, nodding his head at Joey. He released a breath he didn’t know he was holding when the kid didn’t recognize his name. 

 

“Nice to meet you. Maybe we’ll be roommates.” Joey said offhandedly. 

 

“Same to you too,” Harry said turning back to the unnamed man who was talking quietly to another man. He, too, was in the same black cargo pants and white tee-shirt. He didn’t look as menacing. 

 

“All right you lot, I’m Stephen Hatter. I am one of your instructors here at the Academy. I teach Mind Magics, such as Occlumency and Legilimency. Beside me is Roger Tompkins. He teaches Defensive and Offence spells. He will also help train you to become competent duellers.” Stephen said surveying the crowd of new and eager students. He was looking for one in particular. Harry Potter. He had already stopped and talked to Alyssa a few moments ago, and he hoped that Harry was as good as his sister. 

 

“In a few minutes, we will separate you into groups. You will stay in the group you are assigned too. All of you know what it’s like to have dorm-mates. We will divide groups into males and females. This might be a co-ed camp, but the sleeping quarters are not.” He said, eyeing each teenager.

 

“We are here to train you to defend yourself. Many of you will enter the Auror Academy of your native country while the rest of you will enjoy the training provided. I won’t lie to you kids, the training is brutal. We only accept the best for the second season. If you bail out, then you will be sent home. Being an Auror is not for you.” Roger spoke up, eyeing the teenagers. He could already spot those that would bail out at the end of camp and those that would be here next summer. 

 

“We will not tolerate petty duels between campers!” Roger barked, getting everyone’s attention. “If you have a problem with someone, take it up with one of your instructors. Failure to follow any rules listed in your dorm rooms will send you packing fast. Now, when we call your name, you’ll split off into groups.” 

 

Harry listened in amazement. This was unlike anything he had ever experienced. Hermione would ecstatic if she was here. He could already see her berating him. Telling him to stay out of trouble, work hard and learn what he could. He watched patiently as names were being called. Once a group had five people, another one started. 

 

When his name was called Harry walked over to his group. He smiled, seeing Joey Tyndall standing there. A semi-friendly face. There were three other blokes in his group. While the names were being called, several older campers had arrived. 

 

“These guys behind me are your Resident Counselor. You got a problem, talk to them. You need help, talk to them. They have been here the longest; they know the camp best. Many of them are graduates that come back to help every year.” Stephen said, motioning toward the group of Residents. “Now, the Residents will show you to your dorm. You will unpack and get a tour of the facilities. Tomorrow, ladies and gentlemen we train!” 

 

*******Meanwhile back at Hogwarts*******

 

Albus Dumbledore was on a mission. A mission to find Harry Potter once and for all. It irked him that no one could tell him where the blasted boy had run off to this summer. When he received his anonymous letter saying that Harry was last seen at the French Ministry of Magic, he made a short trip over. 

 

Stepping through the Floo of the lobby of the French Ministry of Magic, Albus’s eyes wandered around trying to find his way toward the Portkey office. In his robes was an illegal purchase of Veritaserum. He would dose the person in charge and find out where Harry Potter went. Several floors later and one wrong turn, Albus found himself in the Portkey Office. 

 

Behind the desk was a woman who looked as if she had better things to do. The entire floor was a madhouse. Apparently, they were getting ready for the Quidditch World Cup that was being held in England this year. When the witch's back was turned, Albus slipped three drops of Veritaserum in her mug. 

 

He waited patiently as she turned around to see was in her office. She took a sip of her tea and instantly, Albus saw her eyes glaze over. “Did Harry and Alyssa Potter come to your office in the past 48 hours?” 

 

“Yes, they did,” the witch answered in the monotonous voice of the potion.

 

Albus smiled wickedly, “And where did they go?” 

 

“America,” she replied. 

 

America! Albus snarled on the inside. Fury raged in his body but he kept a cool facade. “Do you know what for?” he asked his last question before the potion wore out. 

 

“No, they didn’t say,” she said, shaking her head as the potion wore off. “Excuse me, can I help you?” she asked in a normal tone. 

 

“No, thank you. I seem to be lost,” Albus replied before stalking out of the room. 

 

Returning to the Floo area, Albus stepped through and in minutes he was walking into his office at Hogwarts. Walking over to the window, he absently pets Fawkes on the head. America. What in Merlin’s name was Harry Potter doing in America? He must bring him back to England! 

 

Albus knew his next step would be to contact someone in America and find out. Crafting a letter, he explained who he was and who he was looking for. His way with words, the concerned Magical Guardian, would surely tug at someone’s heartstrings and answers would be revealed. He rolled the parchment up and gave it to Fawkes, who clutched it in its beak. “I need you to find out who can give me an answer. I suggest someone that deals with Portkey or International traveling.” 

 

Fawkes nodded and shrilled loudly in the quiet office. In a fiery flash, it went him to deliver the message. Half an hour later, he returned with another letter in his beak. Dropping it in Albus’s outstretched hand, Albus smiled gleefully that he had finally found Harry Potter.

 

_Dear Mr. Albus Dumbledore._

 

_I regret to inform you that any International traveler is protected by the MACUSA constitution. We cannot and will not reveal any information about the said minor. What we can tell you is that a minor Harry Potter checked in with his guardian at the Wand Permit Office. Other than that, we cannot reveal his location._

 

_Please have a good day._

 

_Sincerely,_

_Amanda Tompkins_

_Head of the Wand Permit Office_

 

Albus bit back a scream that threatened to erupt from him. Who dared to tell him NO! Who dared refused to answer his questions? He slammed the letter on his desk and ran his hands over his face. Maybe he could convince Ronald Weasley to let him use that magnificent journal again and find out where the Potter boy was. Yes—that would do it. Harry Potter would tell his best mate anything. 

 

He had another letter to craft. 


End file.
